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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516749">Falling into disaster</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lossit_bay/pseuds/lossit_bay'>lossit_bay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Guardian Angels, Chan Felix &amp; Jeongin are the angel equivalent of amazon workers, Humour, M/M, Panic Attacks, Seungmin is the angel equivalent of Hyunjin's FBI agent, Slice of Life, Strangers to Lovers, as they should - Freeform, everyone loves changbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:48:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>67,436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26516749</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lossit_bay/pseuds/lossit_bay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>From the prompt: Person A is Person B's guardian angel, but Person B is just an absolute disaster so Person A steps in to help a little more personally.</p><p>Hyunjin brushes with death, injury and trauma every day without knowing and Seungmin is <i>tired</i> of trying to prevent it. Having Hyunjin suddenly looking after <i>him</i> instead was not something he ever expected to happen but he can't say he minds the role reversal.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>607</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Seungmin-Centric Ficfest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin alighted on a balcony and stared down at the street below. It was busy with people going home for the night but he could still clearly see Hyunjin’s black beanie winding its way through the crowd and that was all that mattered. He probably had about three minutes of rest before Hyunjin was out of his sight again and he’d have to find another balcony or rooftop to watch from. It wasn’t too difficult since this was Hyunjin’s regular route home from dance and Seungmin knew all his patterns. He’d even had a nice few hours of downtime while Hyunjin practiced alone in the dance studio. Just one more block and Hyunjin would be safely home, leaving Seungmin pretty much done for the day. It had been an easy week so far, nothing too far out of Hyunjin’s regular habits, but things never stayed easy with Hyunjin.</p><p> </p><p><em>Not again, </em>Seungmin thought as he watched Hyunjin get stopped in the middle of the street by yet another smartly dressed man. <em>Walk away, Hyunjin. Walk away,</em> he willed his charge but Hyunjin just turned to the man with his classic confused-but-polite expression. Hyunjin had a pretty face, long legs and wide shoulders but it wasn’t his model-like features that got him into the most trouble, it was his tendency to see the best in everyone.</p><p>“Hyunjin, you dumbass,” Seungmin grumbled to himself. Years of incidents just like this and Hyunjin still didn’t learn. Seungmin briefly considered just letting this one run its course so Hyunjin could get scared into being more cautious but even as he had the thought Seungmin knew he wasn’t going to do that. The man’s intent was dark purple and darkening the longer he talked to Hyunjin- he was greedy. Greedy for money or influence or something else- Seungmin’s powers didn’t work far enough to tell which but he knew it couldn’t be good news for Hyunjin. And if something was bad news for Hyunjin it was his job to fix it as Hyunjin’s personal Guardian Angel.</p><p> </p><p>Most angels were spread thin, with districts of thousands to keep in balance. There were too many humans and not enough angels so they did their best and focused more on the children. It wasn’t possible to stop every wrongdoing but the most unfair were normally prevented. Chan, the senior angel working the area Seungmin was in, managed over a million humans. With so many he didn’t even really get a break when night fell but he still had one of the best records for keeping his humans safe and happy. Seungmin would love to work under Chan like his friends Jeongin and Felix did. Jeongin was Chan’s personal assistant, following Chan’s instructions as he learnt how to prioritise cases, and Felix ran the tech side since so many of the humans' interactions happened online these days. Seungmin technically reported to Chan too, since Hyunjin currently lived in his district, but it wasn’t really the same.</p><p>Seungmin was one of the rare remaining one-to-one Guardian Angels. He wasn’t sure who the other recipients were but he presumed it would be important people- future Nobel Peace Prize winners and people like that. People the world needed. He wasn’t sure what Hyunjin was destined for, he just knew that at some point when Hyunjin was a child someone higher up the command chain had decided this boy needed a personal angel. And that personal angel ended up being Seungmin. It was a surprisingly high-intensity job.</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin sidled up to Hyunjin’s side unseen and whispered “you’re hungry” in Hyunjin’s ear to plant the thought in the boy’s head. He ought to be hungry anyway from all the dancing he’d done that afternoon. “You’ve got that leftover takeout in the fridge,” he added as Hyunjin’s focus on the man wavered. Seungmin ghosted his hand down the back of Hyunjin’s arm to encourage him to move. “Eat it and watch that tv drama. That’ll be nice.”</p><p>“Actually, I really have to go,” Hyunjin told the man, taking a step back. “My flatmate will be waiting for me. Bye!” And with that he stumbled back a couple of steps and rejoined the flow of people.</p><p>“Success,” Seungmin whispered to himself and broke regulation for a second to stick his middle finger up at the man who was looking for his next victim. He followed Hyunjin at a leisurely pace back to his apartment. He couldn’t lose Hyunjin even if he tried and flying over him seemed a bit overkill when Hyunjin only had a block left to go. How much disaster could Hyunjin really find in that amount of time?</p><p>The answer was: a lot.</p><p>Seungmin felt the telltale prickling on the back of his neck seconds before it happened and snapped his wings open to race after his charge. Fear spurred him faster and he got to Hyunjin just in time to see the boy walk into someone, hot coffee spilling over both of them. Hyunjin took a step backwards onto the road, right into the path of a speeding taxi. There was no time to save him overtly so Seungmin drew his wings into a dive and aimed for the spot just behind Hyunjin. He wouldn’t be able to move Hyunjin out of the way but hopefully he could take the impact.</p><p> </p><p>Getting hit by a car <em>hurt, </em>even if you were an angel. Seungmin kept just enough focus to keep his wings invisible as pain radiated across his back and the rest of his body came into sight for the humans. He rolled a full 360 backwards up the hood of the car and hit the windscreen, the glass cracking under impact. Meanwhile, Hyunjin was safe, enclosed in soft white feathers as Seungmin wrapped his arms and wings around him and he didn’t get so much as a scratch.</p><p>“Success,” Seungmin moaned as the car under them stilled and people started shouting. Hyunjin scrambled off of him.</p><p>“Oh my god, are you ok?” he asked Seungmin worriedly, his hand’s flitting across Seungmin’s body, too afraid to touch him properly.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Seungmin grunted and pushed himself out of the dent in the windscreen. “All part of the job.”</p><p>“Wait, no, don’t move!” Hyunjin said. “We should call an ambulance. Someone call an ambulance!” he called to the crowd of onlookers. Seungmin didn’t need an ambulance- his angelic blood would do far more for him than any human medic could- but he had to play the part now he was visible. He lay back down on the car. His wings were still open and they hung awkwardly over the hood of the car, their weight pulling painfully at his back, but he didn’t attempt to shut them with Hyunjin watching him so closely. Angels were trained to be able to keep their wings invisible at all costs and as long as he managed that he should be able to pass as human long enough to get back in the sky. Maybe he could even do it all without the higher-ups noticing.</p><p>“The driver?” he asked. It was his own fault he was hurt and he accepted the consequences but if he’d hurt a human...</p><p>“I’m the driver,” an apologetic man said, hovering near Hyunjin. “I’m so sorry kid, you came out of nowhere. I didn’t have a chance to stop.” He had no idea how true his words were.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Seungmin replied. “It was a complete accident. You did the best you could and nobody was hurt.” He put force behind the words, ensuring the man believed them to be true. “Do you have insurance?”</p><p>“Yes, yes,” the man said. “But that doesn’t matter. It’s only a car. You took the full hit- are you sure you’re alright? Can you move your legs?” Spinal damage. Yes, had Seungmin been human he would definitely have spinal damage but thankfully that wasn’t the case.</p><p>“I can,” Seungmin replied and demonstrated. Hyunjin clamped his hands down on Seungmin’s shins.</p><p>“No! Don’t move. Wait for the ambulance. You might hurt yourself more,” he said, leaning over Seungmin with a worried frown. If only he worried about his own wellbeing as much Seungmin wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. “What’s your name?”</p><p>“Seungmin.” Seungmin could help but smile. He’d been Hyunjin’s protector since he was five, it was a little late for introductions.</p><p>“I’m Hyunjin,” Hyunjin said and took Seungmin’s hand, squeezing it tight. “I’ll come with you to the hospital. Is there anyone I can call for you?”</p><p><em>God,</em> Seungmin thought in amusement. Hyunjin probably had a better chance at getting through to him than anybody. “No,” he said. “My friend just changed his number.”</p><p> </p><p>It was kind of nice to have Hyunjin looking after <em>him</em> for once. Seungmin didn’t need it and he quickly convinced the EMTs to let him go once they were in the back of the ambulance but the doting meant he finally got a break from racing after Hyunjin. Hyunjin invited Seungmin back to his apartment to repay him with food and Seungmin wasn’t going to say no since that’s where he was headed anyway. Not that Hyunjin knew that.</p><p>While he avoided paralysis, Seungmin’s back still really hurt. It was worse than anything else he’d ever experienced and that was saying something because he’d once taken a knife in the ribs for Hyunjin. Again, not that Hyunjin knew.</p><p>“Nearly there, nearly there,” Hyunjin chanted quietly as they slowly made their way down Hyunjin’s street, Seungmin’s arm slung over Hyunjin’s shoulder to take some of his weight. It was his wings that were really the heaviest and Seungmin draped one over Hyunjin's shoulder too, hoping the boy wouldn’t notice. Hyunjin was pretty oblivious and the wing was still invisible so he’d probably be fine.</p><p>“Here!” Hyunjin said in relief as they reached his front door. They then had exactly the same thought at exactly the same time.</p><p>“You live on the third floor,” Seungmin remembered. And their building didn’t have a lift.</p><p>“How did you know that?” Hyunjin said, turning his head sharply.</p><p>“Uhh,” Seungmin stalled.</p><p>It had been a long day and it was nowhere near over. Start a web of lies or tell the truth? Contrary to the stories, angels lied all the time and had no qualms with it, but Hyunjin was his charge and honestly he had a million things he wanted to tell him as his guardian, starting with ‘watch where you’re fucking going.’ Also his back was screaming in pain and if he didn’t get to lie down in the next minute he was going to cry.</p><p>He shouldn't tell him. He shouldn’t even have accepted Hyunjin’s invitation home. He should have left Hyunjin at the ambulance, found an alley, gone invisible, and flown after him like a <em>Guardian Angel </em>is supposed to<em>.</em> God, what had he been thinking? First leaving Hyunjin alone, then turning visible, and then <em>befriending</em> him. Today was just turning into a series of increasingly bad decisions.</p><p>Hyunjin was still looking at him suspiciously and the pain in his back was shooting up his spine and into his skull so sharply he couldn’t keep a train of thought straight, let alone a lie. Fuck it. What damage could one more bad decision do?</p><p>“I’m your Guardian Angel,” Seungmin said before he could convince himself to put the job before his well being.</p><p>Hyunjin tipped back his head and laughed. “It sure does feel like it,” he agreed. “You came out of nowhere and saved me from that car. I would be dead without you.”</p><p>“So many times,” Seungmin muttered. “So, so many.” He took his arm (and wing) gingerly off of Hyunjin’s shoulder and stood up straight. “I’m not going up those stairs,” he decided. Even the thought of it was excruciating. “I’ll fly up and come through your wall. Meet me in your bedroom.”</p><p>“What?” Hyunjin asked but Seungmin had already turned invisible to his eyes again and Hyunjin’s hair was ruffled by the downbeat of Seungmin’s wings. It felt amazing to take the weight on his wings and off of his back and he almost regretted telling Hyunjin he’d meet him because he would have to land again almost immediately.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>my chapters are pretty short so im posting a second one to make it up to 3k before the reveal</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin burst through the door just as Seungmin folded his wings away. “What the fuck, dude. How did you do that?”</p><p>“I flew,” Seungmin replied through gritted teeth. “Can I lie down on your bed? My back actually really hurts.”</p><p>Hyunjin’s surprise disappeared in an instant and he rushed to help Seungmin lie down. “You really got hurt?” he asked, rearranging the pillows to keep Seungmin’s spine straight. The pain lessened and Seungmin breathed a sigh of relief.</p><p>“Yeah,” Seungmin said. “Angelic blood means it’s not so bad but I did still get hit by a car. Not fun.”</p><p>“You can’t be an angel,” Hyunjin said in disbelief. “I thought angels were supposed to be all a thousand eyes, wheels of fire and shit.”</p><p>“Someone did their research,” Seungmin smirked. “Yeah, the Archangels are more like that I guess. I’m just your friendly neighbourhood Guardian Angel. Or, I would have been until you came along.”</p><p>“Me?” Hyunjin asked worriedly. “What did I do? Did I upset God?”</p><p>“I have no idea what God thinks of you,” Seungmin replied. “More than likely it’s indifference.” Hyunjin’s eyebrows drew even closer together. Seungmin knew he prayed every night and held a strong belief but the system didn’t operate the way it used to and God was much more of a hands-off power these days. “He doesn’t even know my name and I work for him,” Seungmin told Hyunjin consolingly. “No, for some reason, someone less important than God and more important than me decided you needed a personal Guardian Angel. That’s me. I’ve been looking after you since you were five.”</p><p>"But why?" Hyunjin wondered.</p><p>"Dunno," Seungmin replied, "but you make it really freaking difficult. Can you stop following strangers? And smiling at everyone."</p><p>"You want me to stop smiling?" Hyunjin asked in confusion.</p><p>"Yes! You attract trouble!" Seungmin exclaimed. He had a feeling his demands weren't being taken as seriously since he was lying down and had to keep staring at the ceiling to keep his back straight. And then, just to add to his bad day, Jeongin phased through the wall.</p><p>Jeongin was a tall boy with jet black straight hair that fell over his eyes and a permanent smile. Even when he got mad he was still kind of smiling. Like Seungmin, he wore jeans and a pastel hoodie as his daily attire so he would blend in should he ever be visible to the humans. Seungmin’s hoodie was blue and Jeongin’s was pink but they both held the halo and wings insignia of the Guardian Angels. Right now Jeongin’s insignia was obscured as he held his fists up in front of his chest as if expecting an attack.</p><p> </p><p>"Chan sent you?" Seungmin asked moodily, carefully turning his head to glare at Jeongin.</p><p>"Who's Chan?" Hyunjin asked. He tried to follow Seungmin’s gaze but only saw the wall behind Jeongin.</p><p>"I'm not talking to you," Seungmin said grumpily. "I'm talking to Jeongin."</p><p>"Are you sure you don't have a concussion?" Hyunjin asked, brushing back Seungmin's fringe. "Maybe we should go to the hospital after all."</p><p>"Jeongin, show yourself to him," Seungmin ordered. "He thinks I'm a broken human."</p><p>"No," Jeongin said, keeping his voice hidden from Hyunjin too. "Chan will be mad. We're not supposed to."</p><p>"This is Hyunjin though," Seungmin argued. "He was going to find out at some point."</p><p>"I'm going to call an ambulance again," Hyunjin decided hesitantly, only hearing Seungmin's side of the conversation.</p><p>Jeongin reached out without thinking and swiped the phone from Hyunjin's hand before he could dial. It disappeared from Hyunjin's sight.</p><p>"Now look what you've made me do!" Jeongin cried in panic. "I'm an accomplice!"</p><p>"Where the fuck did my phone go!?" Hyunjin exclaimed, scanning the floor futilely.</p><p>"Jeongin's got it," Seungmin informed him. "Punch to your left- he's bad at phasing."</p><p>Hyunjin did. And it was a solid punch as well, getting Jeongin right on the arm. Jeongin became visible with an offended "<em>ow!" </em> and it shocked Hyunjin so much he fell to the floor as if his limbs had turned to jelly.</p><p>“How many of you are there?” Hyunjin asked, cowering on the floor.</p><p>“It’s just us two in this room, Hyunjin,” Seungmin told him. “I’ll tell you if more people arrive. I’m your Guardian Angel, remember? I have to keep you safe.”</p><p>“Yeah, ok,” Hyunjin agreed and he crawled over Seungmin on the bed so he had his back to the wall (not that that would stop an angel) and Seungmin between him and Jeongin.</p><p>“Innie won’t hurt you,” Seungmin promised Hyunjin, He took the boy's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “He’ll even give you your phone back if you promise not to phone 119.”</p><p>“He punched me!” Jeongin protested.</p><p>“He only landed the punch because you didn’t phase. You even got a warning,” Seungmin shot back. “Do you want me to tell Chan you can’t phase properly?”</p><p>“Urgh, <em>fine,” </em>Jeongin relented. “Here’s your stupid phone,” he said, holding the device out to Hyunjin. Hyunjin quickly grabbed it and pulled his hand back.</p><p>“Why are you here, Innie?” Seungmin asked tiredly. “Don’t you have better things to do?”</p><p>“Chan said you were hurt so I had to take over Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Even if I die, you are not getting Hyunjin,” Seungmin replied determinedly. Hyunjin may be a disaster but he was <em>Seungmin’s</em> disaster and it was staying that way.</p><p> </p><p>“Angels can die?” Hyunjin asked quietly.</p><p>“Ehh,” Jeongin replied and shrugged his wings. “We can get decommissioned. Not really sure what happens then. Hopefully, something good.”</p><p>“Definitely not something good,” Seungmin countered. “If we’re lucky it’s sweet nothingness.”</p><p>“Angels can be atheists?” Hyunjin wondered quietly to himself.</p><p>“Seungmin is a little weird,” Jeongin told him. “Maybe that’s why they gave him you.”</p><p>“Hey!” Seungmin said, offended.</p><p>Jeongin shrugged again. “Just saying. You looked kind of messed up, are you actually able to watch Hyunjin right now or am I taking over? I have to report back to Chan either way.”</p><p>“I don’t need watching,” Hyunjin protested.</p><p>“You <em>do,</em>” The angels said emphatically, in sync.</p><p>“You’re a walking disaster,” Seungmin added. “Jeongin and Chan look after everyone else in the district and some days Jeongin has less work tha-”</p><p>“Chan’s calling,” Jeongin interrupted. “Am I staying? Yes or no?”</p><p>“I got it, Innie,” Seungmin assured him. “Go save the world.”</p><p>“K,” Jeongin said, opening his beautifully long white wings. He was concentrating now because his wingtips phased through the walls as he prepared to fly. “Maybe I’ll see you on a break tonight.”</p><p>“I’ll be here,” Seungmin said. “Don’t wake Hyunjin up.”</p><p>“I could crash straight through the window and he wouldn’t wake up,” Jeongin muttered and jumped up as he swept his wings downwards and phased through the ceiling.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin stared wide-eyed at the spot where Jeongin had been. The angel must have become invisible again just before take-off. Seungmin hadn’t really been paying attention.</p><p>“He’s gone, Hyunjin,” Seungmin told him gently. “It’s just me and you in the room now.” They were still holding hands.</p><p>“Is anybody else going to appear?” Hyunjin asked. “The Chan guy you mentioned?”</p><p>“No, Innie will tell him I’m ok,” Seungmin assured him. “Chan is kind of like our supervisor, I guess? He’s got enough other stuff to do.”</p><p>“He’s the Guardian angel for everyone else in Seongnae-dong?”</p><p>“Ah, no. A bit bigger than that,” Seungmin said. “Everything East of the Dongbu Expressway and South of the river pretty much.”</p><p>“And you just look after me?”</p><p>“Just you,” Seungmin confirmed.</p><p>“Isn’t that a waste of resources?” Hyunjin asked.</p><p>“Someone didn’t think so,” Seungmin replied. “And I’ve put way too much effort into keeping you alive and well this far to just let you wander off now. You’re stuck with me for life.”</p><p>Hyunjin went quiet as he thought. Seungmin felt sorry for him. Not only had he had the whole ‘angels are real, God is an absent father’ thing thrown at him but now he was blindingly aware that Seungmin would be stalking him forever.</p><p>“I can go,” Seungmin offered. “Not far- maybe to the roof? But I can give you some time alone.”</p><p>Hyunjin tightened his grip on Seungmin’s hand. “Don’t go.” he said desperately before he seemed to realise how he sounded and he let go, pulling his sleeves over his hands as he flushed. “I mean, you’re injured- you should stay lying down until you’re healed. And you have to look after me, right? That’ll be difficult to do from the roof.”</p><p>“It’s pretty easy to do from the roof, actually.” Seungmin said. “That’s where I normally go. I get this prickly feeling on my neck before something bad happens and it gives me enough time to get to you.”</p><p>“That’s how you saved me from the car,” Hyunjin guessed. “You were there so quickly, I thought I must have bumped into you and pushed you into the road behind me.”</p><p>Seungmin shook his head slightly, careful not to move his back. “I was flying above you and I dived to get between you and the car. I should have been closer and then I would have had time to pull you out of the way but I thought you would survive walking the last block alone.”</p><p>“I’m really that accident-prone?” Hyunjin asked.</p><p>“Honestly, it feels like it’s getting worse as you grow older, not easier,” Seungmin admitted jokingly. “I know your mother told you not to follow strangers and yet you keep doing it.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Hyunjin said, sounding genuinely apologetic.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Seungmin assured him. “It’s my job, remember. At least you don’t make it boring.”</p><p>“I’ll try and be better,” Hyunjin said seriously, bowing slightly to Seungmin. Seungmin felt his heart swell with fondness. He’d watched Hyunjin grow up, quite literally, and he was so proud of the man Hyunjin had become, even if he was a bit of a liability.</p><p>“I know you will,” Seungmin replied softly, reaching out to pat Hyunjin on the knee. He was about to say more when a voice boomed inside his head.</p><p>“<em>SEUNGMINNIE</em>.”</p><p>Seungmin winced. Great. That’s just what he needed now.</p><p>“What is it?” Hyunjin asked. “Is it your back? Should I get you painkillers?”</p><p>“No.” Seungmin pressed down on Hyunjin’s knee to stop him rushing off. “It’s Chan- my boss. He’s calling. Give me a minute.”</p><p>Hyunjin’s mouth hung open in surprise and he froze, glancing around the room as if expecting another angel to pop up from thin air. Seungmin ignored him in order to appease Chan.</p><p>“<em>Hi, Chan,” </em>he replied. “<em>How can I help?” </em>This kind of communication took all of Seungmin’s concentration so he hoped Chan would be quick. Chan tended to forget the angels under his supervision weren’t quite as good at it as he was.</p><p><em>“You can stop revealing your lineage to humans,” </em>Chan said, even managing to sound disapproving in Seungmin’s head. “<em>I’m coming with paperwork. Are there other humans where you are?”</em></p><p>Paperwork? Really? Seungmin’s day just kept getting worse. “<em>No, it’s just Hyunjin.” </em>Chan didn’t reply so Seungmin presumed that was the end of their conversation.</p><p>He tapped Hyunjin’s knee. “Chan is coming. Just to warn you, he’ll probably-”</p><p>And Chan was already in the room. Hyunjin screamed and hit his head off the wall with a resounding thud.</p><p> </p><p>“Really, Chan?” Seungmin groused. “Innie already scared the crap out of him.” He couldn’t even sit up properly to check Hyunjin was alright.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Hyunjin,” Chan said formally. “I didn’t intend to startle you.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Hyunjin squeaked. His eyes were screwed shut and he was clutching the back of his head.</p><p>“Come’re, you baby.” Seungmin pulled Hyunjin down to his level and wrestled Hyunjin’s hands off his head to press a hasty kiss to the bruise that was forming. “Better?” he asked, letting Hyunjin go.</p><p>Hyunjin’s hands scrabbled at the back of his head, fingers prodding to find the pain. He wouldn’t find it. Hyunjin looked down at Seungmin with a puzzled expression. “What did you do?”</p><p>Seungmin pursed his lips to kiss the air. “Kissed it better.”</p><p>“Huh.” Hyunjin’s hands fell to his sides and his puzzlement faded into approval. “Cool trick.”</p><p>Chan cleared his throat from the middle of the room and stared pointedly at Seungmin when he turned at the sound. Chan could look intimidating in his all black outfit with his serious gaze but over the years he’d grown soft at heart for Seungmin, Felix and Jeongin and this stare was probably the worst punishment Seungmin would get from him for his rule breaking.</p><p>Seungmin smiled winningly. “Hi.”</p><p>“Hiya, Seungminnie,” Chan replied with tired fondness. “Not that I don’t love spending time with you but can we do this quickly? It’s dinner time and you know that’s full of hazards.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Seungmin said quickly. “I wouldn’t have told him but my back was really sore and I was going to have to walk up all those stairs otherwise.” The words came out in a rush and Seungmin finished his sob story with a pout.</p><p>“What happened?” Chan asked, his fierce stance already disappearing. “I only felt that it was serious.”</p><p>“Hit by a car,” Seungmin explained. He left the pronoun out as really it would have been Hyunjin hit by the car if it wasn’t for him. Chan would easily work that out.</p><p>“And you’re ok?” Chan asked Hyunjin.</p><p>Hyunjin nodded. “I’m completely fine. I thought I was just really lucky but,” he gestured to Seungmin, “turns out I have something better than luck on my side.”</p><p>“Yeah, our Seungminnie works hard for you,” Chan said fondly. “Normally I’d tell an angel off for not managing a save without getting involved physically but, well, it’s <em>you</em> so I can’t really blame Seungmin for having to resort to that.”</p><p>“Why do people- <em>angels,</em> whatever- keep saying that about me?” Hyunjin exclaimed.</p><p>“We’ve all had to watch over you for Seungmin at one point or another,” Chan said. “You have a talent for finding trouble like no other human I’ve ever met.” He reached over and patted Hyunjin consolingly on the shoulder. “And because you find trouble wherever you go, I’m going to need you to sign an NDA.”</p><p>“Seriously?” Seungmin asked. “Nobody is going to believe him if he says angels are real. The churches have been saying that for millenia and we’re still fine.”</p><p>“Just to be safe,” Chan placated him and produced a sheet of paper and a pen which he handed over to Hyunjin. “Seungminnie can be visible to you now but his work must still remain a secret from the other humans. Tell nobody what you know.”</p><p>“Umm, no, of course.” Hyunjin hastily signed the contract without reading it, the pen nearly going through the paper as he balanced it on his knee. He shoved it back towards Chan as if it burned. “Thank you for not wiping my memory, Sir. I’ll keep Seungmin a secret, I promise.”</p><p>Seungmin watched Chan fail to hold back a laugh, his dimples coming out as he smiled. “I can’t wipe memories, Hyunjinnie. I’m an angel, not a wizard.”</p><p>“Wait- are wizards real too!?”</p><p>Hyunjin didn’t get an answer from Chan because the senior angel winked at him with a click of his tongue and disappeared from his view. Chan gave Seungmin an ‘okay’ hand symbol and raised an eyebrow before he left and Seungmin quickly returned the gesture. He was fine. In pain, but fine and more than capable of doing his job should he need to. That was all the confirmation Chan needed and he flew out of there at the same high speed he had entered. Seungmin had no idea where he got the energy to just keep working at the insane pace he did.</p><p> </p><p>“Wizards aren’t real,” Seungmin preempted Hyunjin’s repeated question. “Neither are ghosts nor unicorns nor fairies.”</p><p>“Werewolves?” Hyunjin asked.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Bigfoot?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Dragons?”</p><p>“Describe a dragon,” Seungmin prompted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hyunjin is a good egg but hes really not making life easy for seungmin</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin never got to find out about the dragons because his loud-mouth flatmate, Jisung, arrived home at just that moment. “Honey, I’m HOOOOME! Hyunjinnie?!” Why did he have to be so loud? It was a small apartment.</p><p>“My room!” Hyunjin replied before thinking that through fully. God, he was such a liability. It was a good thing Seungmin had opted to keep his wings invisible.</p><p>Jisung stumbled into the room as he tried to pull one sock up his ankle with his other foot. The rest of his attire was in a similar state of disheveled. His t-shirt was full of creases and so large it came down to his knees and the baseball cap that was jammed backwards on his head wasn’t containing all of his long black hair and a tuft of his fringe had escaped to stick up at his forehead. Seungmin would have thought some mishap had befallen the boy for him to be dressed so haphazardly but he’d watched Jisung from afar for a long time and Jisung just always looked like that. In fact, sometimes it was worse. Jisung gave up on his sock and glanced up, eyes widening as he noticed Seungmin lying in Hyunjin’s bed.</p><p>“Oooh,” Jisung said appraisingly. “Cute boy. Where did you find him?”</p><p>“Seungmin dived in front of a car to save my life,” Hyunjin said proudly. Seungmin could really do without the attention but having his work finally acknowledged by Hyunjin did feel nice.</p><p>“Oh, shit!” Jisung exclaimed, looking at Seungmin in a new light. “Are you alright, dude?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Seungmin replied, quirking the corner of his mouth up in a brief smile. If Jisung knew how badly he was hurt it would throw up red flags when he was completely fine in a couple of days. “I just hurt my back a little. Hyunjin offered for me to come here since it was just around the corner.”</p><p>“Not that I don’t trust Hyunjin’s judgement,” Jisung started cautiously, “but I don’t trust Hyunjin’s judgement and if you were hit by a car you should definitely go to the hospital.”</p><p>“The EMT’s checked me over,” Seungmin assured him. “I’m ok.”</p><p>“If you say so.” Jisung shrugged. “I’m going to reheat dinner, Jinnie. I’m <em>starving</em>. Do you want some, Seungmin-ssi?” The formality came a bit late since he had initially referred to Seungmin as ‘cute boy’ but Seungmin appreciated it all the same. Jisung had once had a partner for a month-long university project and referred to him as ‘Long Hands’ for the entire time after forgetting his name on day two of their project so the bar Seungmin had set for Jisung was pretty fucking low.</p><p>“No thank you,” Seungmin said politely. He’d never eaten before and now was not the time to try that out.</p><p>“Cool.” Jisung left the room again, humming a little tune to himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you don’t want food?” Hyunjin asked. “We’ve got plenty.”</p><p>“I don’t eat,” Seungmin explained. “And I know how much food you have- I was here yesterday.” That seemed to short-circuit Hyunjin’s brain. Seungmin wasn’t even sure which comment did it. “Hyunjin?”</p><p>“You really follow me everywhere,” Hyunjin said at last, staring down at Seungmin’s face in a disconcerting way.</p><p>“Yeah.” Seungmin winced, anticipating a meltdown. “I try not to come into your bedroom but the kitchen- you’re really bad at cooking so it’s better if I stay nearby.”</p><p>“... Fair enough,” Hyunjin allowed. His eyes were still a little unfocused as he re-analysed his life.</p><p>“Do you want me to go now?” Seungmin guessed. “My back is alright.” It wasn’t. “I can go to the roof until morning.”</p><p>“No. Stay,” Hyunjin decided eventually. “You’re an angel- like, the purest being in existence. I should be helping you, not making your life more difficult.”</p><p>The words were heavy on Seungmin’s chest. He didn’t feel pure. He’d thought a lot of nasty things about the people that had been malicious to Hyunjin in the past, and on occasion acted on those thoughts. He’d even bad mouthed Hyunjin to Jeongin for doing no more than living his life.</p><p>“I’m not,” Seungmin said. He couldn’t, in good conscience, let Hyunjin believe that he was somehow worse because he was human. “I’m not that great. Even today, I nearly let you get hurt because I was too lazy to follow you closely.”</p><p>“See,” Hyunjin said. “All the more reason for you to stay. I’ll eat my dinner in here and then you can do your job <em>and </em>rest your back.” Hyunjin made it seem so simple but it was never easy, not for very long. Still, Hyunjin’s genuine smile was good to see and the boy made good on his word and brought his food back to his room when Jisung called him.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want to try some?” Hyunjin asked as Seungmin watched him eat. “Pizza is never as good reheated but it’s still pizza, you know?”</p><p>“I have no idea,” Seungmin replied honestly.</p><p>“Ok.” Hyunjin set his plate aside and turned to Seungmin with a serious frown. “Do you think you can sit up? You need to taste pizza.”</p><p>Seungmin held up a hand for help. Lying on his back, his wings were trapped under him making it difficult to get leverage with his arms and he didn’t want to twist to get up and aggravate his injury. Hyunjin took his hand but instead of just pulling, his other hand slid under Seungmin’s wings to support his upper back as he ever so gently helped Seungmin up.</p><p>“Nearly there, nearly there,” Hyunjin chanted, just as he had on their way to the apartment. He kept on hand at Seungmin’s back as he reached back to move a pillow for him to lean on. “There!” he said, as his hands left Seungmin. “Are you alright?”</p><p>“I’m fine, Hyunjin,” Seungmin said with a small smile. “I walked and flew, remember? It’s not so bad.”</p><p>“But that was before you admitted you were an angel!” Hyunjin protested. “And you were in a lot of pain before. I could see it on your face.”</p><p>“I’m fine now,” Seungmin assured him. Angelic blood worked fast and sitting up wasn’t exactly strenuous. Walking would probably hurt a lot though so it was a good thing he wouldn’t have to do any of that until morning.</p><p>“Pizza?” Hyunjin asked and held out a slice for Seungmin to bite. Seungmin had seen humans do this enough times not to mess it up and he knew how to chew but it was certainly a new sensation. “Yeah?” Hyunjin lit up as he watched Seungmin eat. “Ok, you like pizza, that’s good.”</p><p>“Now what?” Seungmin asked. He’d chewed the pizza enough that the joy of it’s flavour had diminished and the texture was starting to get unpleasant. Maybe he could spit it out but that would be impolite, he knew that much.</p><p>“Swallow,” Hyunjin said and pointed to his adam’s apple as it bobbed in his throat. Seungmin tried to get his to mimic the motion and nearly spat the food onto the floor. Hyunjin dived for his bin and held it under Seungmin’s mouth. Swallowing wasn’t going to happen so Seungmin reluctantly let the food fall back out of his mouth.</p><p>“Sorry.”</p><p>“It’s ok,” Hyunjin said, laughing slightly as he set the bin back on the floor. “I maybe should have given you a tutorial or started with something easier than pizza. You liked the taste though, right?”</p><p>“I think so,” Seungmin answered. He’d never had a taste to decide about before.</p><p>“Ok.” Hyunjin shoved half a slice in his mouth all at once and had swallowed it in a few bites. Seungmin watched in amazement. How had he done that?</p><p>“Stop,” Hyunjin laughed. “You’ll make me choke.”</p><p>“I <em>did</em> choke,” Seungmin replied. “How are you eating so much?”</p><p>“Practice,” Hyunjin grinned. “Twenty years of practice, multiple times a day.” He went quiet as he demolished the rest of the pizza, thinking hard. “I wonder if you should practice with water first.”</p><p>Seungmin was hesitant to put the water in his mouth. He wouldn’t be able to speak around it and it was kind of disgusting to keep spitting things out into Hyunjin’s bin. Hyunjin was excited though and Seungmin had a lifetime of putting Hyunjin’s happiness first.</p><p> </p><p>Water was somewhat disappointing. He could see why Jesus had used a miracle to turn it into that other stuff. Anything would taste better than water. He tried to swallow it and encountered the same problem but this time managed to keep the water in his mouth. Hyunjin was sitting cross-legged directly in front of him on the bed and watched closely.</p><p>“Up here,” Hyunjin said, pointing to the top of his own throat. “Open up here first.” Seungmin still couldn’t do it which was infuriating because newborn babies could do it and they couldn’t even hold their heads up.</p><p>Hyunjin reached over and gently touched along Seungmin’s jaw. Seungmin widened his eyes as they made eye contact. Hyunjin was going to get a face full of water if he wasn’t careful.</p><p>“Relax,” Hyunjin said quietly. “Don’t panic, I’m going to help. I’ve done this with Kkami.”</p><p>Kkami was Hyunjin’s tiny dog that stayed at his parents house. Hyunjin <em>adored </em>Kkami like no other creature but Seungmin still didn’t want to be compared to a <em>dog.</em></p><p>“I’m not going to hurt you,” Hyunjin promised as his hand closed around Seungmin’s neck. He pressed his thumb down the front of Seungmin’s neck and suddenly the water was moving down Seungmin’s throat and his mouth was empty. It wasn’t a sensation he was sure he liked.</p><p>“I can feel it!” Seungmin exclaimed, following the coldness of the water as it made its way down his body with his hand.</p><p>Hyunjin grinned. “Yeah, that happens sometimes when the liquid is a different temperature to your body.” He sat back and watched Seungmin puzzle over the new sensations. “Want to try and manage yourself this time?”</p><p>“Not really,” Seungmin admitted. The feeling of water inside him was unpleasant and swallowing it had been stressful. “I don’t need to eat or drink and I didn’t like that.” His stomach was doing weird things now. It didn’t normally move.</p><p>“I don’t need to eat ice cream but I still do,” Hyunjin retorted and then his eyes lit up. “We can give you ice cream!”</p><p>“No, Hyun-” Seungmin started but Hyunjin had already dashed out the room.</p><p>“This will be easier,” Hyunjin promised, coming back with two individually wrapped packages. “And it tastes really good.” He set one down on the bed between them and opened one. “Ok, this one is caramel ice cream. Hold the cone like this,” he wrapped Seungmin’s hand around it, “And you can lick little bits off the top and you’ll swallow it without thinking about it.”</p><p>Seungmin stared at his cone in apprehension as Hyunjin opened the second one. Hyunjin took a bite out of the chocolate casing his ice cream. “This one is mint chocolate,” he explained around his mouthful. “I dunno if you’ll manage the chocolate but you should try the ice cream too since it’s really different.” He had become endearingly invested in educating Seungmin. “Try it,” he encouraged Seungmin, putting his hand under Seungmin’s fist to lift the cone to his lips.</p><p>Seungmin gave it a tentative lick. It was very different to the pizza; not as many flavours, cold like the water had been, and soft. And it kind of disappeared in his mouth. It was… good.</p><p>“You did it!” Hyunin cheered quietly. “Have more.”</p><p>Seungmin didn’t finish his ice cream. It started to melt and the cone got in the way so he handed it off to Hyunjin, who was an expert in this field. Hyunjin offered the mint one instead, which he had nearly finished. Seungmin had aimed to get only the ice cream since he was confident in eating that now but a piece of the chocolate broke off in his mouth too. He made a startled noise and turned to Hyunjin for help.</p><p>“Eat it,” Hyunjin encouraged. “You can bite it if you want but it will melt too so you’re ok.”</p><p>Biting didn’t really work by the time Seungmin had worked out how to get the chocolate near his teeth but the taste was good, almost as good a mint. Mint was his favourite taste so far.</p><p>“All done?” Hyunjin asked when Seungmin managed to get the last of the chocolate off of the stick. He himself was licking melted ice cream from the cone off of his hand. “What do you think of ice cream then?”</p><p>“<em>Yes,”</em> Seungmin replied. He would eat ice cream again. “Mint is the best.”</p><p>“Oooh, a controversial opinion, Minnie,” Hyunjin grinned. “I’ll remember that for next time.”</p><p>
  <em>There was going to be a next time?</em>
</p><p>“I need to brush my teeth now,” Hyunjin continued. “I don’t know if you need to...”</p><p>Seungmin shrugged. “Angels don’t normally eat. I could ask Chan but-”</p><p>“He’s really busy, yeah,” Hyunjin finished, frowning as he thought. “Let’s do it anyway,” he decided, nodding to himself. “It’ll be a new experience for you. And you’ll never guess what toothpaste tastes like.” He grinned as if they had an inside joke.</p><p>“Mint?” Seungmin asked hopefully.</p><p>Hyunjin’s grin widened until his eyes closed in little crescents. “Got it in one, Minnie!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>angels assemble!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They told Jisung that Seungmin was staying over for the night and didn’t mention that Seungmin had stayed over every night. Hyunjin taught Seungmin how to brush his teeth in a hushed whisper as Jisung’s bedroom was just through the wall and then offered Seungmin clothes to sleep in. It was a sweet gesture, but unnecessary.</p><p>“I have wings,” Seungmin reminded him, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed so his back wasn’t twisted in a painful position. “And I don’t sleep.”</p><p>“Oh,” Hyunjin said, his face falling. “You don’t sleep <em>ever?”</em></p><p>“You’re a full time job, Hyunjin,” Seungmin joked. “If I needed sleep you’d be in danger when I got tired.”</p><p>“But...” Hyunjin bit his lip as he thought. “Can’t you sleep when I do?”</p><p>“I can rest,” Seungmin said. “And I’m thankful for that, but I won’t go to sleep. I normally wait up on the roof for Jeongin to get a break.”</p><p>“Are you going to do that tonight?” Hyunjin asked.</p><p>“Are you ok with me staying in here?” Seungmin countered. “If I lie on the floor my back will probably heal faster. And Jeongin knows to come look for me here. We can be out of sight and hearing so we won’t disturb you.”</p><p>“You can take the bed,” Hyunjin said quickly. “It’s the least I could do.”</p><p>“Only if you sleep on the bed too,” Seungmin bargained. It was a double bed and Seungmin could just lie still at one side. There would be plenty of room for Hyunjin’s nightly wrigglings.</p><p>“Deal,” Hyunjin said. “Wake me up if I roll over and hurt you though. Apparently I move around a lot in my sleep.”</p><p>“You sleep-dance I think,” Seungmin told him. He’d watched Hyunjin dance enough times to recognise some of the moves performed lying down. “And sleep-talk, but not that often.”</p><p>“Good entertainment?” Hyunjin asked with a tired smile.</p><p>“Yeah,” Seungmin agreed. “Come on,” he patted the bed beside him, “it’s past your bedtime and you have class in the morning.” The better Hyunjin slept, the less disasters he would cause the next day.</p><p>“It’s weird that you know everything about me,” Hyunjin commented, shoving the drawer of his dresser closed with the clothes he’d taken out for Seungmin inside.</p><p>“It’s weird that you’re listening to me,” Seungmin replied. “Normally I just get to watch you be an idiot until it goes far enough that I can intervene.” He moved to lay down as Hyunjin crossed to the bed and Hyunjin rushed to help him. “I’m fine,” Seungmin assured him. “I’m mostly healed.”</p><p>“I can see your little frown,” Hyunjin replied, poking Seungmin between the eyebrows when he was done helping him and tucking him in. “Don’t you know lying is sinful?”</p><p>“It really isn’t,” Seungmin argued. “And I didn’t lie anyway- I am mostly healed.”</p><p>“You’re not fine though,” Hyunjin said. He knelt by the bed, clasped his hands. “I’ll pray for you to get better soon.” His eyes closed and then they flew back open again. “Wait! Who should I pray to?”</p><p>“Don’t bother,” Seungmin said and tried to tug Hyunjin up by his clasped hands. “Nobody is listening, and if they are they’re not going to do anything about it.”</p><p>Hyunjin stayed firmly on the floor. “I don’t believe that,” he said determinedly. He closed his eyes again and cleared his throat before starting his prayer. “Dear Seungmin,-”</p><p>Seungmin laughed out loud in surprise. Hyunjin had him there- if one higher power was going to listen and do something about it, it was Seungmin.</p><p>“Can I continue?” Hyunjin asked. His eyes were still closed but a small smile danced on his lips.</p><p>“Go on,” Seungmin encouraged. “I’m listening.”</p><p>“Dear Seungmin,” Hyunjin started again. “Today has been a very important day for me though I did not know it was going to be that way this morning. I am grateful for all you have done to keep me on the right path and especially grateful for you risking your life to protect me from that car. I will do my best to be more careful in future and to lighten my burden on you. I pray that my family and friends remain well and that Jisungie doesn’t get dropped a grade band for submitting his essay late-”</p><p>“I have no power over that,” Seungmin cut in. “And he really should have submitted it on time.”</p><p>Hyunjin smiled and continued. “And I pray that I’m not in a coma and my brain invented you to cope with the trauma of a car crash because I really like you and I want you to be real. Also can I have a cute angel walk me to class tomorrow? That’s everything. Thank you, Seungmin. Goodnight. Amen”</p><p>“You’re such a dumbass,” Seungmin informed Hyunjin as he flicked the light off and crawled over him into bed.</p><p>“I’m your dumbass,” Hyunjin replied, wriggling under the duvet to get comfortable.</p><p>“You’re not wrong,” Seungmin muttered. “Don’t sleep in tomorrow.”</p><p>“Wake me up?” Hyunjin asked sweetly.</p><p>“No.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeongin flew into the window at 4am. Seungmin turned to see him holding his arm with a silent cry of pain and smothered a smile. The kid really needed to learn to phase properly.</p><p>“Good morning, Innie,” Seungmin greeted Jeongin as he touched down on the carpet and then rolled over onto his side to moan in pain. Like all angels, he faintly glowed in the darkness, even when hiding his form from human eyes. “Are you having a good day?”</p><p>“<em>No,”</em> Jeongin whined. “I just flew into a window, stop laughing at me!”</p><p>“I’m not laughing at you,” Seungmin said, willing all of his face muscles to relax before Jeongin looked up.</p><p>“You are,” Jeongin grumbled, pushing himself up to sitting. “And your human is hugging you.” He made a face of disgust as he noticed Hyunjin’s arm across Seungmin’s waist.</p><p>“He’s clingy,” Seungmin replied. “You knew this already.”</p><p>“He’s supposed to cling to <em>other humans, </em>not to you,” Jeongin protested. “How is Chan ok with this?”</p><p>“I’m his favourite underling?” Seungmin suggested, just to rile Jeongin up further.</p><p>“<em>How?”</em> Jeongin replied. “You don’t do anything. I help hundreds of humans every day and Felix makes people happy in like 0.1 seconds.”</p><p>“I was joking, Innie,” Seungmin said, reaching out a hand to ruffle his hair. “Chan’s just too busy to find a better solution. Would you rather someone new got assigned to Hyunjin?”</p><p>“Oh <em>hell</em> no,” Jeongin said. “They’d make it someone boring and uptight- oh wait, it already is.”</p><p>Seungmin tried to lash out to hit him but Hyunjin’s arm on his waist stopped him. “I’m not uptight.”</p><p>“Felix is cooler,” Jeongin replied. He’d shuffled back to the middle of the room, out of Seungmin’s range. “Wait. Does Felix know yet?”</p><p>“That I told Hyunjin about angels?” Seungmin asked. “No, I don’t think so. You know he’s always busy once the humans get off work.”</p><p>“They can survive fifteen minutes without him,” Jeongin decided and closed his eyes to call the other angel.</p><p> </p><p>Felix was normally in a PC bang because he liked the ergonomic chairs but he joined them quickly after Jeongin’s call. “Hey!” he said, landing beside Jeongin with an elegant sweep of his wings. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been- woah! <em>Seungminnie.”</em></p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Seungmin said boredly. Felix was staring at Hyunjin’s arm. “Sit your ass down and I can explain before Chan catches us.”</p><p>Felix did as instructed and blinded Seungmin with his sunshine smile in the dark room. “Hit me, Minnie.”</p><p>“He got Hyunjin to hit me earlier,” Jeongin complained to Felix. “Don’t tempt him.”</p><p>“You stole his phone!” Seungmin said exasperatedly. Felix looked between them in confusion so Seungmin took pity on him and went from the beginning. “Hyunjin nearly got hit by a car on his way home tonight. I flew in to take the hit- hurt my back and became visible.”</p><p>“And then he just <em>told</em> Hyunjin he was his Guardian Angel,” Jeongin added. “And now they’re <em>cuddling.”</em></p><p>“We’re not cuddling,” Seungmin argued. “I’m lying down to heal my back and Hyunjin is sleeping.”</p><p>“Looks like cuddling to me,” Felix chipped in. “Hyunjin took the news well then?”</p><p>“Yeah, he fed me ice cream and prayed to me instead of God tonight.”</p><p>“You ate <em>food?”</em> Jeongin exclaimed. “I’m telling Chan.”</p><p>“You think Chan hasn’t eaten food before?” Seungmin asked sceptically. "He takes any excuse to do a job in a barbecue restaurant."</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“Oh yeah, Chan had definitely eaten food before,” Felix took Seungmin’s side. He opened his mouth to say more but they all winced as Chan’s voice reverberated inside their heads.</p><p><em>"BROTHERS</em>."</p><p>“So much for getting the gossip,” Felix grumbled and stood to take off. He was too slow though and Chan pushed down on his head as he made to take off, landing himself.</p><p>“Hi Channie,” Seungmin said. “Nice of you to join us.”</p><p>“That’s not-” Chan shook his head. “Are you cuddling Hyunjin?”</p><p>That’s what I said!” Jeongin exclaimed.</p><p>“And as <em>I</em> said, I’m lying down for my back and Hyunjin is sleeping. I’m not cuddling him.” Seungmin said crossly. It was easier to get mad at them than to accept that he really liked Hyunjin curling his body around him.</p><p>Chan squinted at him in the near darkness. “I’ve got to disagree, Seungminnie. That’s cuddling.”</p><p>“Don’t you all have jobs to be doing?” Seungmin asked pointedly. He must have tensed or something because Hyunjin slid his leg further up Seungmin’s thigh and mumbled into his hair.</p><p>“Yeah, you seem <em>very </em>busy here,” Felix mocked him. “So sorry to have kept you from such important business.”</p><p>“Shut up.” Seungmin could tell there was a blush blooming on his neck and he needed them out of the room before they noticed. “I didn’t ask for Hyunjin.”</p><p>“I do wonder what he needs guarded for,” Chan mused aloud as he pulled Jeongin off the floor.</p><p>“Guarded from himself,” Jeongin suggested. “Or maybe he’s the antichrist and Seungmin is the only reason the world hasn’t burned to the ground yet.”</p><p>“<em>Jeongin,” </em>Chan scolded. “You can’t joke about that. Fly.”</p><p>“I’m going,” Jeongin grumbled, spreading his wings. “Bye, Seungmin.”</p><p>“Bye, guys,” Seungmin said, since they were all leaving now. “See you soon.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i have 14 chapters written rn and im not used to having stuff written ahead so updates might be really fast for a little bit</p><p>lmk what you think of it so far</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this fic is kinda accidently fanfic bingo btw. you should make a tropes card and see who gets bingo first. make sure you cross out 'there was only one bed' for whats happened so far</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin didn’t wake up with his alarm so Seungmin had to shake him awake. He remembered too late he had to be visible for that to work and Hyunjin nearly screamed as Seungmin popped into existence above him.</p><p>“Oh my God,” Hyunjin gasped, clutching his chest. “I think I pissed myself.”</p><p>“Sorry.” Seungmin smiled in the hope of being forgiven. “I forgot I can be visible now.”</p><p>“Just stay visible,” Hyunjin requested, reaching out to pat Seungmin on the cheek. “Visible and solid, please. No phasing through walls or any of that.”</p><p>“I’ll try,” Seungmin said, climbing out of the bed. “You need to hurry up to eat breakfast before class.”</p><p>“Yeah. Give me a minute,” Hyunjin mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. “Gotta get used to the idea of having a Guardian Angel again.” His arm slowly went lax until it was draped over his eyes.</p><p>“Hyunjin!” Seungmin said exasperatedly. He tore the pillow out from under Hyunjin’s head and smacked him across the face with it. “Get up.”</p><p>“One minute,” Hyunjin begged sleepily. “Just one minute.”</p><p>“No. You’ll fall asleep again and then run into traffic <em>again</em> when you rush to make it to class on time.”</p><p>Hyunjin pulled his arm off of his eyes. “Low blow.”</p><p>“I got hit by a freaking car, Hyunjin!” Seungmin exclaimed. “It <em>was</em> a low blow and it <em>really</em> hurt!”</p><p>“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Seungminnie.” Hyunjin said sincerely. He rolled towards Seungmin and reached out a hand to caress Seungmin’s knuckles with his thumb, staring up at him with sleepy eyes. It took a lot of willpower for Seungmin not to go out of sight so Hyunjin would stop looking at him like that. “Are you feeling better? You’re standing.”</p><p>“I’m fine now,” Seungmin said. “Just give me an easy day and I’ll be at full health by the end of the day.”</p><p>“I’ll try my best,” Hyunjin said seriously. He sat up and shook his head to try and wake himself up. Seungmin had seen him do this before and he almost always went back to sleep afterwards. “Breakfast?”</p><p>“Breakfast,” Seungmin agreed, helping him to his feet. “For you, not for me. I’ve had enough experiments with food for now.”</p><p>“Ahh, Cute Boy,” Jisung said as they entered the kitchen. “You’re still here. Your back recovered from Hyunjin then.”</p><p>“I was hit by a <em>car</em>,” Seungmin said, squinting at him. Jisung’s grin was far to smug.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s what they all say,” Jisung continued being cryptic.</p><p>Hyunjin gasped and hit his flatmate repeatedly with flailing slaps. “Ah! <em>No</em>, Sung! He <em>was</em> hit by a car! What the fuck! Get your mind out the gutter.”</p><p>Seungmin was still clueless but Jisung’s head whipped back and forth between them. “Really? <em>Really</em> really? He was lying <em>in your bed</em> with an injured back and then instead of going to A&amp;E he stayed over! And he’s cute! What else was I supposed to think?!”</p><p>Hyunjin was bright red with embarrassment and Jisung wasn’t much better. Seungmin was starting to guess what the misunderstanding was now. </p><p>“I’m just going to tell him.” Seungmin decided. If he was going to be visible to Hyunjin then Jisung was going to be seeing him around a lot more and clearly building a lie with Hyunjin was going to be impossible.</p><p>“You can’t do that!” Hyunjin exclaimed. “Won’t Chan get you in trouble?”</p><p>Seungmin shrugged. “You saw how much trouble I got into last time. It’ll be fine.”</p><p>“You can’t <em>not</em> tell me now,” Jisung said. “Are you like the mafia or something? Oh, oh! Secret prince!”</p><p>“Guardian Angel,” Seungmin told him before his suggestions could get even wilder.</p><p>“<em>Seungmin!”</em> Hyunjin said, horrified. </p><p>Jisung laughed. “Good one!”</p><p>“No. Seriously.” Seungmin said. “Hyunjin, watch he doesn’t faint.” And with that quick warning he made his wings visible and spread them out behind him. Jisung screamed and backed into Hyunjin’s chest.</p><p>“How did you do that!”</p><p>“I’m an angel,” Seungmin said. “Hyunjin’s angel, specifically. I can make myself invisible to humans.”</p><p>“And he can fly straight through walls,” Hyunjin added, pulling on Jisung’s arm to get the boy to stand on his own two legs again. “I had three angels fly through my ceiling last night. It was trippy.”</p><p>“Four,” Seungmin corrected him. “Felix came while you were asleep.”</p><p>“Where’s my angel then?” Jisung asked as if expecting someone to just appear from one of the cabinets. “Is he cute too?”</p><p>“Ah,” Hyunjin stalled. “Um.”</p><p>“What?” Jisung asked. “Is it a girl? A not-boy-or-girl?”</p><p>“You don’t have one,” Seungmin saved Hyunjin from the awkward news. “Almost nobody has their own angel.”</p><p>“But <em>Hyunjin</em> does?” Jisung scoffed. “I don’t believe that.”</p><p>“Do you believe he’s a liability?” Seungmin asked. “Because I mostly just run damage control. Everyone else gets help from one of the district Guardian Angels but Hyunjin needs one-to-one supervision.”</p><p>“You make me sound like a toddler,” Hyunjin whined. “I’m not that bad.”</p><p>“Hit by a car, Hyunjin,” Seungmin reminded him. “I got hit by a car for you. And that wasn’t the only incident yesterday.”</p><p>“Oooh, what else did he do?” Jisung asked.</p><p>“Both of you need to eat before class,” Seungmin said instead of regaling Hyunjin’s disasters. “You’re going to be late.”</p><p>Seungmin sat on their couch as Hyunjin and Jisung ran around the apartment in their rush to be ready in fifteen minutes. He was glad they were distracted because it took longer than he would like to admit to work out a comfortable position to sit in. It wasn’t even his back that was the main problem- it was his wings. He couldn’t slouch with a back injury which was fine except with a backrest his wings got trapped until him. Eventually he settled for just opening them to rest along the couch on either side of him. It was a rude thing to do but in fairness it didn't look like the humans were going to have time to sit down before they left to bemoan the lack of space Seungmin was leaving. Jisung was ready first as his idea of being equipped for class was having his phone fully charged but he was still barely on time.</p><p>“I have a pen too!” Jisung exclaimed when Seungmin voiced his disapproval. “Learning is about the thinking anyway, not the writing down.” Jisung studied philosophy and had started to develop philosophies of his own. These philosophies were strongly backed up with academic bullshit too because while Jisung might not take the best notes he had a talent for words and picked up persuasion techniques as easy as breathing. He wasn’t Seungmin’s problem so Seungmin didn’t argue it. Hyunjin was Seungmin’s problem though and he was precariously close to being late.</p><p>Jisung and Seungmin were waiting at the door when Hyunjin stumbled out of his bedroom. “Ready!”</p><p> “Earphones,” Seungmin replied and Hyunjin dashed off again.</p><p>“And here I thought he was good at remembering things,” Jisung commented. “Turns out it’s you.”</p><p>Seungmin didn’t answer and waited for Hyunjin to crash back to the front door again. </p><p>“Ready!” Hyunjin said again, proudly holding up his airpods case.</p><p>“Keys.” Seungmin said. Hyunjin groaned and ran off again.</p><p>“Do you do this every day?” Jisung asked. </p><p>“It’s normally subtler, but yes,” Seungmin said. He opened the door. The keys should be the last thing Hyunjin forgot since he didn’t have swimming today. “And every time he leaves a lecture hall, and the cafeteria and, and.”</p><p>“Damn,” Jisung looked impressed. “You’ve got the patience of a saint.”</p><p>“Not a saint,” Seungmin reminded him as Hyunjin shot past them and tumbled down the first flight of stairs, barely keeping his feet under himself. “Angel.”</p><p>“I reckon I’m nearly enough of a disaster for a personal angel,” Jisung mused, slamming the door behind them. “I trip over my feet all the time and my nutrition is awful. Can you put in a good word for me?”</p><p>“With whom?” Seungmin asked. “I don’t even know why Hyunjin is special.” He sighed as Hyunjin yelped below them, sliding down a step he’d meant to stand on. “Hyunjin, slow down!”</p><p>“You said we were going to be late!” Hyunjin replied, his voice echoing off the walls of the stairwell. </p><p>“We’ll be later if you have a concussion!” Seungmin shouted down to him before turning to Jisung. “I’ll see you at the bottom of the stairs.” And with that he went invisible and opened his wings to fly down to the ground.</p><p>“Seungmin!!” Hyunjin called happily as he stumbled down the last flight of stairs and barreled into him. “You took the fast way down?”</p><p>“Yep,” Seungmin replied, wincing as Hyunjin put added pressure on his back. “My back, Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Oh!” Hyunjin pulled back quickly. “I forgot, I’m sorry!”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Seungmin assured him, bracing off of Hyunjin’s shoulder until the pain settled back to a dull throb again.</p><p>“DUUUUUUDE!” Jisung yelled down the stairs, leaning over the bannister to see them. “DID YOU <em>TELEPORT??”</em> </p><p>Seungmin sighed and pressed his forehead against Hyunjin’s shoulder to gather his patience while he waited for Jisung to descend the rest of the stairs. He hadn’t realised humans would be this difficult to deal with.</p><p>“I flew,” Seungmin said quickly when Jisung reached them. “I can fly through solid objects. No, you may not ask follow-up questions.”</p><p>“But-” Jisung whined. “The laws of physics! The desires of man! This changes <em>everything!” </em></p><p>“And you will shut up about it,” Hyunjin told him. “Don’t tell anyone about any of this, ok? You’ll get Seungmin in trouble.”</p><p>Jisung made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as Hyunjin manhandled him out the front door of the building. “I have an essay on the Will of God! ”I have so many questions!” </p><p>Oh, <em>now</em> he had questions? Why not in the kitchen half an hour ago when Seungmin had first revealed his wings? They didn’t look fake, did they? Seungmin might not be a great angel but he <em>was</em> the real deal.</p><p>“Seungmin is an atheist,” Hyunjin told Jisung.</p><p>“<em>WHAT!”</em></p><p>Seungmin decided it was best not to walk to university with them as Hyunjin had asked him to. Jisung was struggling to reorientate his world view and it was taking brain power away from his ability to orientate his feet towards class. Seungmin being there would only bring him to a standstill.</p><p>“Where the fuck are you!” Jisung yelled at the sky as Hyunjin dragged him along. “I’ll push Hyunjin into traffic again! Then you’ll have to talk to me!”</p><p>Seungmin rubbed his temples and tried to decide if that threat was a good enough reason to knock Jisung out. He could see that Jisung didn’t have the intent to do it though Seungmin might have actually done some psychological damage on him already by just existing. Hopefully he’d pull through and stop yelling soon or Chan was going to be notified by the number of surrounding humans staring at Jisung.</p><p>“Seungminnie.” Chan alighted beside him and Seungmin flinched. “Why is Jisung screaming?”</p><p>“He’s stopped now,” Seungmin replied.</p><p>“I stopped him,” Chan said. “His mind is… <em>busy</em> right now. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you?” Seungmin kept his gaze fixed on Hyunjin and flew to the next rooftop. Chan followed him. “<em>Seungminnie</em>.”</p><p>“He knows I’m an angel,” Seungmin admitted. “And I think it ruined his arguments for an essay he’s got due. Also, he’s upset that he doesn’t get an angel.”</p><p>Chan hummed thoughtfully. “Well, he’s a philosophy student so nobody is too worried about his outburst yet. You can handle anything else he does.”</p><p>“But I only work with Hyunjin!” Seungmin exclaimed. “You can’t give me Jisung too!”</p><p>“You gave you Jisung too,” Chan said, his tone not leaving any room for further argument. “And while you’re at it, you can set up Jisung to meet this other kid called Changbin. I think it would be good for them to talk to each other.” And as suddenly as he had arrived, Chan was gone again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Text your flatmate,” Seungmin said, appearing to Hyunjin in an empty bathroom after he was done with his morning classes. “Tell him I say he’s a little B.”</p><p>“A little B?” Hyunjin asked, drying his hands. He was getting used to Seungmin popping up already. </p><p>“The full word,” Seungmin said. “You know which one. I’m not allowed to say it.”</p><p>“Ok,” Hyunjin said, pulling out his phone as Seungmin opened the doors for him. “Any particular reason I’m calling Jisung a little bitch or is this in general?”</p><p>“Chan made him my charge, as well as you,” Seungmin explained. “As punishment for ruining his career as a philosopher or something. Not that ‘philosopher’ is a very good career anymore.”</p><p>“I have to share you?” Hyunjin asked sharply, pausing in his typing. Seungmin pulled him to one side before someone walked into the back of him.</p><p>“Not really,” Seungmin said. “I’m obviously going to keep watching you but now I have to, like, help Jisung make a friend or something.”</p><p>“He has a friend!” Hyunjin exclaimed, gesturing to himself. </p><p>“A new one. Some kid called Changbin.” Seungmin shook his head. He couldn’t risk another human learning his identity and he couldn’t leave Hyunjin alone so somehow he was going to have to lead them all on a wild goose chase for this Changbin and find a way for him and Jisung to hit it off without it being too suspicious. “Do you know a Changbin?”</p><p>“I don’t think so,” Hyunjin said. “Do you know what he studies? Is he even a student?”</p><p>“No idea.” Seungmin sighed. “I’ll ask Felix if he knows who Chan is talking about.” It was strange to have someone other than Jeongin to share his problems with and he felt a little guilty for treating Hyunjin like a friend. He was supposed to be serving him. “How was class?” he asked, turning the conversation back on the person it should be about.</p><p>“Terrible,” Hyunjin said with a grin. “Physics is the bane of my existence. Is it not enough to design pretty things? Why do they have to be structurally secure too?” </p><p>“People like it when their furniture doesn’t kill them,” Seungmin said sagely.</p><p>“So <em>picky,”</em> Hyunjin lamented. “Anyway, I’m going to ask Minho-hyung about this torque bullshit again because I understood it the last time he explained it.”</p><p>“Shouldn’t he only be teaching you dance?” Seungmin asked, stopping a swinging door from smacking Hyunjin in the face. Hyunjin was too busy reading a text.</p><p>“He likes maths,” Hyunjin argued. “I’m doing him a favour by letting him talk about it. Also- Jisung says for you to meet him around the back of the chemistry building so he can fight you.”</p><p>“I’m not fighting Jisung,” Seungmin said. For starters, it wasn’t fair. He could completely annihilate Jisung in seconds should he want to. “Did you tell him I’m looking after him too now?”</p><p>“Oh! No, I just called him a bitch for you,” Hyunjin said. He stopped in the middle of the road to compose his new message and Seungmin had to pull him back to the pavement. “He says this,” Hyunjin said, holding his phone out to Seungmin, completely unaware he’d been in danger. Jisung’s reply was a string of undecipherable emojis, at least to Seungmin’s eyes. “I think that means he might kiss you next time he sees you,” Hyunjin informed him.</p><p>“Please no,” Seungmin said. He couldn’t express strongly enough how much he didn’t want that to happen.</p><p>“Just warning you.” Hyunjin gave him a lopsided smile. “You’re pretty and Jisung likes kisses.”</p><p>“When he’s drunk,” Seungmin said. He’d had to watch Hyunjin closely at enough parties to know what Jisung got like. </p><p>“Oh no, all the time,” Hyunjin informed him. “He’s just shy when he’s sober but he’s already challenged you to a fight today so kisses are fair game.”</p><p>“Just because that’s how you became friends with him doesn’t mean I have to do the same,” Seungmin replied, frowning as he considered the possibility. He was going to have to be on his guard tonight.</p><p>“Wait- were you there for our fight?” Hyunjin asked. He’d turned around on the stairs up to the cafeteria and Seungmin had to push him to stop him holding up everyone.</p><p>“Fights.” Seungmin corrected as they joined the long queue for food. “And obviously I was there. You’re my problem.”</p><p>“And you <em>let</em> Jisung punch me in the face?” </p><p>“It was entertaining. Also, you deserved it.”</p><p>“He gave me a black eye!”</p><p>“And you stopped getting into fights with him after that,” Seungmin pointed out. “If I constantly protect you you’ll never learn.”</p><p>Hyunjin went in a huff with him at that and turned to face forward in the queue. Seungmin didn’t know what to do. Jeongin never took real offense when he insulted him and he didn’t interact with anybody with enough frequency to have experience for a situation like this. However, he knew one person that excelled at conflict de-escalation and he just so happened to have him on speed dial.</p><p>
  <em>Lixie? You busy?</em>
</p><p><em>At lunch time? </em>Felix replied almost immediately. <em>Of course. But how can I help you? Problems with Cuddlebug?</em></p><p>In hindsight, this was a terrible plan. <em>I told Hyunjin I let Jisung punch him and now he’s mad at me.</em></p><p>Felix’s loud laugh echoed in his head. <em>Aww, poor Seungminnie. I’ve got you, don’t worry.</em></p><p>Seungmin was about to ask what he was going to do when Hyunjin whirled around and grabbed him by the chin. He held his phone up beside Seungmin’s face and gasped. “You’re a <em>puppy.”</em> Seungmin was too shocked to push him away. “I need a picture,” Hyunjin decided and took half a step back to get Seungmin’s whole face in view. He then studiously examined the picture, flicking back and forward with another one on his phone.</p><p>“Do I want to know?” Seungmin asked.</p><p>Hyunjin spun back to Seungmin’s side and held out his phone, flicking between the two pictures. One was Seungmin as he was now, stressed and in mild pain, and the other was a golden retriever puppy. “You’re a puppy, Seungminnie!”</p><p>"Sure I am," Seungmin agreed gamely, just happy Hyunjin was happy again. "Is this Felix's doing?"</p><p>"Ahh!" Hyunjin draped his arm over Seungmin's shoulders to draw them closer together and navigated back to his messages. "I didn't even check. I saw the picture and 'Seungmin' and-"</p><p>"-your brain melted?" Seungmin suggested jokingly.</p><p>"Lil bit," Hyunjin agreed and pinched Seungmin's cheek lightly. "I love puppies." He turned his attention back to his phone and made a noise of surprise. "There's no number!"</p><p>"Yeah, Felix can do that," Seungmin said. He'd never seen it in person and it seemed a bit conspicuous. Surely a fake number would be better. "Was there anything else in the message?"</p><p>Hyunjin opened it and under the large picture of the puppy was 'it's Seungmin' and a string of heart emojis. Under that was the letter F, an angel emoji and two X kisses.</p><p>"I wonder if I can reply," Hyunjin said and loaded the picture of Seungmin he had taken.</p><p>"At least take a better one," Seungmin pleaded. "Don't give him blackmail material."</p><p>"Ok, you have to pose," Hyunjin said, pulling off him and readying his camera. </p><p>The girl behind them quietly interrupted their photoshoot and gestured at the gap in the queue in front of them. Seungmin felt the burn of embarrassment heating up his face. He'd entirely forgotten about the rest of the room and potential dangers to Hyunjin he was supposed to be alert to. He bowed to the girl in apology and dragged Hyunjin forward.</p><p>"Flower pose," Hyunjin requested, unbothered. </p><p>"I'm not doing that."</p><p>"This one then," Hyunjin suggested, poking his own cheek and keeping his phone leveled at Seungmin's face.</p><p>"The aim of this is to <em>not </em>give Felix blackmail," Seungmin reminded him.</p><p>"It's cute," Hyunjin insisted. "Hurry, the line is moving." Seungmin reluctantly complied and Hyunjin squealed at his shot before trying to send it. "It's not working."</p><p>"Give it here," Seungmin said, holding out his hand. "Order your food." It was probably some angelic power that allowed him to send the photo to Felix. He'd had to put intent behind it before the error message stopped flashing on the screen and he was tempted to give up but he owed Felix and it would make Hyunjin happy.</p><p>"Did it send?" Hyunjin asked. He had his food and was headed to the till. </p><p>"Yeah," Seungmin replied, trailing after him. The reply from Felix was near instantaneous as expected and consisted of three lines of keyboard smash. Seungmin wasn't even sure Felix used a keyboard to send it. "He liked it," he told Hyunjin.</p><p>"What was not to like?" Hyunjin grinned and found them a quiet corner in a high-backed booth. "Do you want to try?" Hyunjin offered his food and took a mouthful only to immediately regret it.</p><p>"Is it hot?" Seungmin teased him, opening Hyunjin's water bottle for him. "Do you need me to blow on it for you?"</p><p>Hyunjin took a large swig of water. "Isn't it your job to warn me about that kind of shit?" </p><p>"Maybe," Seungmin replied, smiling. He was having more fun than he'd had in ages.</p><p>"I have a guardian devil," Hyunjin lamented, chewing on a much smaller bite of food and blowing the hot air out of his mouth as he did so. "You just love to see me suffer."</p><p>"Oh, if I wanted you to suffer you'd know about it," Seungmin said.</p><p>"Ominous," Hyunjin mumbled. "You didn't answer- do you want to try it? It's tteokbokki. More like pizza than ice cream but softer and spicier. But I've not taught you spice yet so I don't know how helpful a descriptor that is." He held out his chopsticks to Seungmin with a tiny mouthful he'd thoughtfully cut up for him.</p><p>"What if I can't swallow it again?" Seungmin worried. It looked a fair bit denser than ice cream. </p><p>"You can spit it in a napkin," Hyunjin said. "Or I can help you, but I think you've gotten better."</p><p>Seungmin hesitantly opened his mouth and let Hyunjin feed him. It was… "Is this spicy?" he asked, holding the rice cake on his tongue, unsure how he felt about it.</p><p>"Yeah," Hyunjin replied. "Well, it's the mild one but compared to pizza and ice cream- that burning in your mouth is the spiciness. </p><p>Seungmin ate it thoughtfully. Hyunjin was right- swallowing was ok now, though he wouldn't be risking something like pizza again any time soon. "More."</p><p>"More?" Hyunjin laughed delightedly. "Do you think you can handle a whole piece?" Seungmin didn't but he took it when Hyunjin held it out. By his third taste Seungmin decided he liked tteokbokki and Hyunjin alternated between feeding Seungmin and himself, though Seungmin's bites were a lot smaller. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I have to go to the computer lab to work on my learning pod design thing now," Hyunjin said when they were finished in the cafeteria. "Are you coming with me?"</p><p>"Obviously," Seungmin replied. He never strayed far from Hyunjin and after the car accident he was even more cautious about letting the boy leave his sight.</p><p>"I meant <em>like this," </em>Hyunjin said. Seungmin was bracing on both of Hyunjin's shoulders as they slowly went down some unavoidable stairs. "I'll be in one place for hours- I'll be fine. You can get some rest."</p><p>"The computer lab is the one with the squishy blue chairs?" Seungmin asked, partially to distract himself from the jolts of pain he felt at every step. This university needed more disability access.</p><p>"Yeah, with the backrests that go all the way to horizontal," Hyunjin said. He looked worriedly over his shoulder at Seungmin. "That building has the stupid half floors though so you'd have to deal with more stairs. I don't know how to find the lift that goes to that part of the building."</p><p>"It's fine," Seungmin assured him. "Barely even hurts." They reached the bottom of the steps and Hyunjin slung Seungmin's arm over his shoulder.</p><p>"Your face says otherwise."</p><p>"I'm fine," Seungmin said firmly. "Look where you're going."</p><p>The computer lab was mostly empty when they arrived so Hyunjin wheeled a seat over for Seungmin and pressed a button to tip the backrest all the way back.</p><p>"There," he said proudly. "You can lie down."</p><p>"I don't need-" Seungmin shook his head at Hyunjin's determination to look after him. "I'll be fine sitting up. I'd like to see your work."</p><p>Hyunjin's eyebrows rose. "My project?"</p><p>"Yeah. I've seen you working on it before but I never really understand what you're doing. I know it's green?"</p><p>Hyunjin laughed and fixed Seungmin's seat, hooking his foot around it to draw Seungmin closer. "It is green. And rounded. And probably made of plastic on the outside but I'm not sure yet. They didn't really give us a budget but that kind of shape is going to be messy to make with traditional building materials. Initially I thought of doing it with steamed wooden beams," he pulled out his sketchpad and showed Seungmin his sketches, "but then I'd have to do the force calculations for every beam and that would be a bitch."</p><p>Despite complaining about it, Hyunjin clearly loved what he was studying and Seungmin only needed to smile and nod at the right time to keep him talking. Hyunjin explained his entire work process so far on the outdoor study pod he'd been told to design, twisting his 3D model on the screen as he did so and toggling various layers on and off.</p><p>"Looks good so far," Seungmin commented. "Maybe a bit dark."</p><p>"Yeah," Hyunjin agreed half-heartedly. "I thought that too. I could just say it's got high powered LED lights but since it's outside I should probably try to use some natural light. Also it's too private at the moment so students would definitely fuck in them instead of studying."</p><p>"Is that something you're graded on?" Seungmin asked in horror. The word 'fuckability' wouldn't pass his lips but it bounced around his head all the same. </p><p>Hyunjin laughed and flicked his wrist with the mouse in his hand to make the model on screen spin. "With Professor Moon, who knows? I should add a window, shouldn't I? I was too lazy to do the maths again but it really needs one."</p><p>Seungmin took the mouse from Hyunjin and tried to turn the model back around. It stayed put. Hyunjin placed his hand over his and pressed down on his index finger.</p><p>"Click and drag," he demonstrated. "What are you trying to do?"</p><p>"Well, how tall is it?" Seungmin asked. He had been trying to get back to the door to make an estimate. "If you put a long window right around it at eye height for people walking past then it would stop people inside from… having sex, and they'd get natural light without getting distracted by what's going on outside either."</p><p>"Hmm." Hyunjin kept his hand over Seungmin's as he quickly clicked on a couple of lines to bring up their real-world dimensions. In seconds there was a transparent stripe circling his design. "Like that?"</p><p>"You're the product design student," Seungmin reminded him. "You tell me if that's good."</p><p>"It's less extra seams," Hyunjin mumbled to himself, "but they would be a point of weakness without re-enforcement… I'll mess around with it," he announced. "Thanks, Angel."</p><p>"All part of the service." Seungmin stumbled over the words as Hyunjin turned his blinding smile on him. He hastily drew his hand out from under Hyunjin's and tidied it in his lap with his other hand, out of the way of Hyunjin. He'd forgotten to do his real job again and the computer lab had filled up around them. Seungmin was stealing the chair for one of the last free computers. As he looked around for a spare stool or something to perch on until Hyunjin was finished another group of students arrived. Hyunjin had said that these computers were in high demand among the engineering students as the library computers didn't have the same software. Seungmin only vaguely understood but he could realise that taking a workstation without even turning on the monitor was a rude thing to do. He rushed to stand up and offer his seat to one of the new students and Hyunjin glanced up in surprise.</p><p>"Sit on my lap," he suggested as he noticed Seungmin was left standing. He pushed away from the desk and leant back, patting his thighs. "I need your expertise."</p><p>"What expertise?" Seungmin asked. He'd never been a student to either use or design a study pod before and he had absolutely no idea how many charging points the average human used. Hyunjin didn't answer his question and tugged on Seungmin's leg to pull him down into his lap. "I know nothing about this, Hyunjin," Seungmin warned him, opening his wings just enough to trail them either side of them without dragging his feathers on the floor where they could get chewed up by the wheels of the spinning chair.</p><p>Hyunjin hooked his chin over Seungmin's shoulder and kept working. "You can be my rubber duck then." His chin pressed down on Seungmin's shoulder as he spoke and Seungmin could feel his breath on his skin. His stomach did something weird again. Probably the tteokbokki. </p><p>Seungmin was about as useless as a rubber duck for the rest of their time in the computer lab. Hyunjin didn't even ask him any more questions. Instead he sang softly to himself as he powered through the latest improvements to his study pod. Seungmin didn't mind watching him work, though most of it went over his head. Hyunjin kept messing with his external materials in different designs and it was fun to watch the colours change. </p><p>"You're cuddling <em>again,"</em> was the only notice Seungmin got that Jeongin had flown by for a visit. Hyunjin (and the rest of the humans) didn't hear Jeongin but the way Seungmin tensed and glanced around alerted his charge.</p><p>"What is it?" Hyunjin asked, tightening his grip on Seungmin's waist. Seungmin put his hand over Hyunjin's phone, lying facedown on the desk. </p><p>"Jeongin. Can I?" he whispered. Hyunjin nodded and Seungmin held the device to his ear as he'd seen humans do. "We're not," he replied to Jeongin the second the phone touched his ear. It was cold and awkward to hold easily. </p><p>Hyunjin laughed quietly. "Most people start with 'hello'.” </p><p>"Jeongin didn't," Seungmin retorted, and then to the angel lurking behind him. "Why are you here?"</p><p>"Some kid deleted their essay by accident and it's due tomorrow," Jeongin explained. "They've been doing a lot of praying. I need to convince them to phone a friend but they've not reached acceptance yet so I can't help them."</p><p>"They should have saved their work in multiple places," Seungmin replied. Hyunjin had done exactly the same thing in high school and gotten the lecture from many people. </p><p>"Thank you, Angel," Hyunjin muttered and pressed a feather-light kiss to Seungmin's neck before deftly saving his progress in different files. He hadn't learned from his lectures then.</p><p>"Did he just <em>kiss</em> you?" Jeongin asked in disgust.</p><p>"<em>No," </em>Seungmin replied hotly but the tingling on his neck was not the normal kind he associated with Hyunjin.</p><p>"What's he saying?" Hyunjin asked. "Tell him I say hi."</p><p>"Hello, Disaster Boy," Jeongin replied snarkily. "Stop groping my colleague."</p><p>Seungmin spun Hyunjin's chair around to face Jeongin. "Wow, Jeongin,” he said flatly. “Are we not even friends?"</p><p>"I don't know." Jeongin was standing in the middle of the room with his arms crossed. "Friends normally look at each other when they're talking to each other."</p><p>"I was trying-!" Seungmin's defense was cut off by Hyunjin talking the phone from his hand and 'ending the call.'</p><p>"Okay," he said calmly. "Let's go outside and stop disturbing the whole room." Seungmin was too furious to care and Jeongin just smirked. Hyunjin locked his computer screen and took Seungmin's hand to lead them to a secluded corner near the stairwell.</p><p>"Okay. Jeongin, can you come visible to me for a moment?" Hyunjin asked. Jeongin must have done as requested because Hyunjin's eyes focused on him. "Hello again," Hyunjin started. "Why were you making Seungminnie upset, and am I involved?"</p><p>"Of course you're involved!" Jeongin exclaimed. "You're <em>always</em> involved with Seungmin, only now you're distracting him from his job too."</p><p>"<em>Hyunjin</em> is my job," Seungmin argued. "How is being closer to him not doing my job?" </p><p>"You're acting like a <em>human," </em>Jeongin hissed. </p><p>"Look-" Seungmin glanced at Hyunjin. He would be fine by himself for a minute. Seungmin made himself invisible and inaudible to Hyunjin. Jeongin quickly took the cue.</p><p>"Come on!" Hyunjin protested. "Are you guys even still here? Seungminnie? You wouldn't leave me, right?"</p><p>"He got attached quickly," Jeongin remarked, stepping back so he wouldn't be hit by Hyunjin's searching hands.</p><p>"Yeah." Seungmin sighed. "I tried backing off, I swear. This morning I flew above him as normal on his way to class-"</p><p>"Was that when his flatmate started screaming at the sky?" Jeongin asked with a smirk.</p><p>"That's a separate issue," Seungmin said, brushing over the problem that was Han Jisung. "I tried waiting on the roof for Hyunjin's lectures but I started panicking that something else would happen and I would be too slow and then I couldn't tell if my neck was actually prickling from danger or if I was just imagining it so I sat in all his lectures but I still couldn't sit close enough to be sure and-"</p><p>"Woah!" Jeongin grabbed Seungmin's gesturing hands and held them between his own. "Calm down, Minnie. Hyunjin is fine. He's always fine, no matter what happens."</p><p>"Only because I stop it!" Seungmin exclaimed. He was worked up now and everything he had been bottling up all day came spilling out. "If you mess up, one person has a bad day- it's not a big deal. If <em>I </em>mess up, Hyunjin gets hurt and everyone knows it's my fault. Hyunjin knows it's my fault."</p><p>When he turned to look he saw Hyunjin had pulled out his phone and was taking pictures of the space around him as if that would reveal them. Jeongin waved his middle finger in Hyunjin's direction before turning back to Seungmin. </p><p>"That's why you're acting like a human?" he asked quietly. "To stay close to him?"</p><p>Seungmin nodded, embarrassment from his outburst starting to hit. </p><p>"You know you're a brilliant angel, Seungmin," Jeongin said. "You got this job because they knew you could handle it. Believe in yourself."</p><p>"I'm still going to stay visible for a while longer," Seungmin said.</p><p>"Okay." Jeongin smiled with a roll of his eyes, ending their fight. He glanced at Hyunjin. "Go visible on three and scare him?"</p><p>Hyunjin screamed and dropped his phone as he hit his elbow off the wall. Jeongin stooped to catch the phone and held it out of Hyunjin's reach. </p><p>"Promise to cause less disasters?" Jeongin said threateningly, or as threateningly as he could.</p><p>"He doesn't do them on purpose," Seungmin said exasperatedly. "Innie, give him his phone back."</p><p>"Did you guys make up?" Hyunjin asked, rubbing his elbow. "Where did you go?"</p><p>"We didn't go anywhere," Seungmin told him. "And yes, we made up. We've been friends for fifteen years, we never fall out for very long."</p><p>"Aww." Hyunjin smiled at them. "That's cute. You even match- couple outfits."</p><p>"We do not." Seungmin said as Jeongin stepped away from him, looking disgusted. </p><p>Hyunjin laughed delightfully. "You even had the same reaction!"</p><p>"We do not match!" Jeongin pointed Hyunjin's phone at him. "It's a uniform."</p><p>"Nuh uh!" Hyunjin snatched his phone back. "That boss angel had a black hoodie and black cargo pants. You're both in pastel hoodies and blue jeans."</p><p>"That's-" Hyunjin's observation had flustered Seungmin. "Felix wears a pastel hoodie too!"</p><p>"And blue jeans!" Jeongin added.</p><p>"And blue jeans!"</p><p>"All you've proved is that I need to meet Felix," Hyunjin said. "Do you not change your clothes?"</p><p>"Sometimes it becomes a t-shirt," Jeongin said. "In hot weather. I've had shorts a couple of times."</p><p>"You don't choose to change?" Hyunjin asked. "Ever?"</p><p>"Why would we need to?" Seungmin countered. "It's just to blend in. Chan says it changes style with the fashion but sticks to our favourite colour. My hoodie had always been blue, Innie's had always been pink. Felix's changes nearly every month."</p><p>"That's pretty cool," Hyunjin said. "I wonder what colour hoodie I would get."</p><p>"You'll never be an angel so we'll never find out. What a shame," Jeongin said without emotion. "That kid has stopped crying now so I'm going to go. See you tonight, Seungminnie. Don't die, Disaster Boy." And with that Jeongin turned on his heel and stalked off down the corridor.</p><p>"Can't he fly?" Hyunjin asked.</p><p>"He doesn't like going through walls," Seungmin said, smiling at Jeongin's retreating back. "He's looking for a window."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>some people seemed to think seungmin would end up with disaster trio hyunbinsung. haha not so fast</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After that drama, Hyunjin decided to call it a day on his project and head home. Unfortunately for Seungmin, that meant seeing Jisung.</p><p>"Honey?" Hyunjin called as he unlocked the door and kicked off his shoes. "You home?"</p><p>There was no reply.</p><p>"Maybe he's wearing headphones," Hyunjin said and wandered further into the apartment. After checking all the shared spaces he knocked twice on Jisung's door. A second later it was opened and Jisung was standing there grinning, red headphones around his neck.</p><p>"Hey Honey, hey Angelface."</p><p>"Don't call me that," Seungmin said quickly.</p><p>"Why not?" Jisung asked. "You have the face of an angel."</p><p>"He actually has the face of a puppy," Hyunjin said, and showed Jisung the picture before Seungmin could stop him.</p><p>"Puppyface it is," Jisung decided.</p><p>"That's worse," Seungmin said. "Please just use my name."</p><p>"But we're friends!" Jisung protested. "You need a nickname. Like Hyunjinnie here, he's Honey because we are deeply in love." He stood on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Hyunjin's cheek which Hyunjin only looked mildly traumatised by.</p><p>"You call each other Honey because you did it for a bit once and still find it funny for some reason," Seungmin said deadpan. He'd been a long-term victim of their terrible sense of humour.</p><p>"How-" Jisung started, pouting that Seungmin has ruined his fun.</p><p>"I stalk Hyunjin," Seungmin reminded him. "It's my job.”</p><p>"You are no fun," Jisung told him, frowning with disappointment. Seungmin didn't see why that was such a bad thing. Fun often ending in disaster and boring kept Hyunjin alive.</p><p>"Enough," Hyunjin said tiredly. "Seungminnie, I'm going to cook dinner. Are you coming to the kitchen with me or are you staying here to bicker with Jisung?"</p><p>"Kitchen," Seungmin said quickly. "What are you making?"</p><p>"Well, my mum bought me a lot of vegetables so some of them and whatever I can find in the cupboards to mask the taste of the vegetables."</p><p>"Hot sauce," Jisung suggested.</p><p>Hyunjin wrinkled his nose. "Then it just tastes like vegetables and pain."</p><p>"Vegetables are that bad?" Seungmin asked. He knew Hyunjin didn't like a lot of them but were they so terrible that the best thing to do was to distract yourself from the taste with pain?</p><p>"They're fine," Jisung said. "Especially if you cook them the right way. Hyunjin is just a baby that doesn't like bitter tastes." He shook his head mockingly at Hyunjin and Hyunjin stuck out his tongue in response. Jisung turned to Seungmin. "Do you not eat?"</p><p>"I've had pizza, ice cream, toothpaste, and tteokbokki," Seungmin listed proudly.</p><p>Jisung's eyes widened. "Please tell me you didn't swallow the toothpaste."</p><p>Seungmin shook his head. Hyunjin had explained that it was bad and Seungmin had been more than happy to spit it out. "I didn't swallow the pizza either."</p><p>Jisung's shock morphed to horror.</p><p>"He's still learning," Hyunjin came to Seungmin's defense. "I shouldn't have given pizza as his first thing to eat."</p><p>A small voice in Seungmin's head that sounded remarkably like Chan noted that maybe they should stop reminding Jisung that Seungmin wasn't human. He never seemed to take it well.</p><p>"Right. I'm making dinner," Jisung decided, shutting his door behind him. "Seungmin, Hyunjin hasn't given you kimchi yet, has he?"</p><p>"No," Seungmin said, trailing after Jisung to the kitchen. "Is it like ice cream? Or pizza?"</p><p>"No," Jisung said, sounding disgusted. He rummaged through their cupboards and Hyunjin pulled Seungmin to sit down at the table while they watched Jisung work. "I can't believe those were your baseline foods, Jinnie," Jisung said, reappearing with various jars.</p><p>"The pizza was just what I had!" Hyunjin protested. "And ice cream was easy to swallow. Seungmin choked trying the pizza. He likes mint though. And tteokbokki."</p><p>Jisung threw a packet at Hyunjin and Seungmin reached out to intercept it before it hit Hyunjin's face. "Be useful and dish that," Jisung told Hyunjin. "We're going to have to start with the basics."</p><p> </p><p>There were a lot of basics according to Jisung and their kitchen didn't have anywhere near all of them but Seungmin still got an array of dishes pushed in front of him. He liked rice, scrambled eggs and kimchi despite the kimchi being a bit of a challenge and apparently that was the right thing to say as he was declared a 'real Korean.'</p><p>"I'm not Korean," Seungmin reminded them.</p><p>"You look Korean," Hyunjin said.</p><p>"I'm probably just an average face of people Hyunjin is likely to meet," Seungmin guessed. "We're supposed to blend in if we're visible."</p><p>"That ain't average," Jisung said, pointing at Seungmin's face.</p><p>"You should see the other ones," Hyunjin sighed. "Jeongin is the cutest person I have ever seen. His eyes shouldn't be legal."</p><p>"You should tell him that," Seungmin requested. Everyone thought Jeongin was cute and he was sick of it. Hyunjin saying it would really wind him up.</p><p>"When's he coming?" Hyunjin asked. "Tonight?"</p><p>"There are other angels coming to the apartment tonight?" Jisung asked, freezing with his cheeks full of food.</p><p>"Yeah, Jeongin visits in the middle of the night," Seungmin said. There was no point trying to hide it from Jisung when Jeongin was so bad at phasing. "And Chan might stop by to get you to sign an NDA."</p><p><em>"Me?" </em>Jisung asked, his eyebrows dancing in worry.</p><p>"Yeah, you're not supposed to know about me," Seungmin reminded him. "Chan's really busy so he can only stay when most people are too unconscious to cause problems. When do you go to sleep?"</p><p>Jisung shrugged. "3am? Depends if I have a deadline or not. Is Chan like… God?"</p><p>"My boss," Seungmin explained. "Normally he looks after you but he decided to punish me for telling you about angels so now I have to look after you. Unlucky for you, Hyunjin is a full-time job so you're basically on your own until Chan takes you back."</p><p>"What?" Jisung asked. "I didn't ask for this! What's going to happen if nobody looks after me!?"</p><p>"Nothing… if you're good," Seungmin said.</p><p>Seungmin had intended just to scare Jisung a little for all of the trouble he'd caused him but it did not have the intended effect. He managed to scare Jisung <em>a lot</em> so when Hyunjin (and Seungmin) left for dance practice Jisung tagged along as well. Jisung claimed that as long as he stuck close to Hyunjin Seungmin would have to protect him too. He was a little bit right.</p><p> </p><p>"Who are they?" A boy asked suspiciously when they reached the practice room and Seungmin and Jisung trailed in after Hyunjin. "We don't have time to teach new dancers."</p><p>"They're not dancing," Hyunjin said quickly. "This is my flatmate, Jisung, and my…" he stared at Seungmin, eyes wide as thought left him.</p><p><em>Friend," </em>Seungmin mouthed to him. Why was Hyunjin such a disaster?</p><p>"Friend," Hyunjin finished far too late. "Seungmin."</p><p>"Riiight," the boy said sceptically. He looked familiar to Seungmin but he hadn't paid a lot of attention to Hyunjin's dancer friends during practice since he first joined the club. "You know we fly the rainbow here, Jin," he told Hyunjin, "but we can't have distractions this close to the performance.”</p><p>"We'll be really quiet, Hyung," Jisung said quickly. "We'll just sit in a corner and work."</p><p>"Why can't you do that at home?" the boy asked. "And I didn't say you could call me Hyung."</p><p>“Sorry, dancer-nim," Jisung said. "We just have to stay with Hyunjin because uh, he's got the keys?"</p><p>The boy smiled as he tried not to laugh. "That was a terrible lie but you can stay as long as you're not a distraction. And my name is Minho."</p><p>"Thank you, Minho-ssi!" Jisung said, pulling Seungmin into a deep bow. "We'll go sit over there and not make a sound." He dragged Seungmin off to the wall he was pointing to before Minho could say another word.</p><p> </p><p>"He's really good," Jisung commented as the dancers started a warm-up.</p><p>"Hyunjin?" Seungmin asked. He'd watched Hyunjin dance hundreds of times but it never got old. He had a fluidity about the way he moved that was so captivating and over time he'd learnt to match his expressions to the music which only added to the performance.</p><p>"Minho-ssi," Jisung replied. "You can tell he's the leader."</p><p>Seungmin spared a glance at Minho. "Yeah," he agreed. "He choreographed the piece they'll practice today."</p><p>"Wow," Jisung breathed. "That's hot." Minho had taken the centre for freestyle and winked at Jisung as he turned before stepping out of the spotlight for the next dancer.</p><p>"Don't distract the dancers," Seungmin reminded Jisung mockingly, with an elbow to the ribs as Jisung seemed to have stopped breathing.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin came over to them at their break to check they were alright.</p><p>"Your hands were in the wrong place," Jisung told him. "At the chorus it's like this,” he held his arms above his head, “but in the verse you're supposed to have one lower. Everyone else was doing it."</p><p>Hyunjin flicked him. "I'd like to see you try it," he shot back. "But yeah, Minho-hyung already told me. The choreo used to be that way," he said in his defence, "so I'm not <em>wrong</em>. I'm just doing the original move."</p><p>"That's still wrong," Jisung argued.</p><p>"Apart from that it was really good," Seungmin said quickly before they could start bickering and annoy Minho. "The bit you were practicing last week looked really smooth."</p><p>Hyunjin beamed. "Thanks, Seungminnie. I don't know if Minho-hyung noticed the difference but it felt better."</p><p>He was called back before Jisung could find a new insult and Seungmin and Jisung sat quietly as they waited for them to finish. The mirror steamed up and the room was starting to smell of sweat. Seungmin was looking forward to being in the fresh air again.</p><p> </p><p>When the rest of the dancers finished their cooldown and started filing out, arranging to go out for food, Hyunjin held Minho back. From his pleading face he was asking for the help he needed with his maths class. Minho shook his head and pointed to the clock but then he said something else and Hyunjin nodded enthusiastically and replied before running over to them.</p><p>"Hyung is coming over," he said in a rush.</p><p>"Minho-ssi?" Jisung squeaked. "Now?"</p><p>"Yeah," Hyunjin said, throwing on his hoodie and zipping it halfway. "He's going to teach me maths, physics, engineering, whatever, and we're ordering food. Hurry up."</p><p>"Which is it?" Jisung asked, scrambling to his feet. "Maths, physics or engineering?"</p><p>"Uh, all of them?" Hyunjin said distractedly. "Quick, before he changes his mind."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this is being updated so quickly bc i have 14 chapters pre-written and i hate keeping secrets so i need to publish them all before i spoil it all</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So," Minho said as they all started their walk home, in the opposite direction from the other dancers going for drinks. "You're Hyunjin's boyfriend?" he asked Seungmin. Hyunjin had been fussing over Seungmin since the minute they went to leave and Minho had been eyeing them suspiciously. It hadn’t helped when Seung grabbed Hyunjin’s hand to stop him walking into a sign and then hadn’t let go again.</p><p>"Yes," Seungmin said. It made the most sense for why Seungmin was suddenly hanging around all the time and he couldn't say he was a visiting friend if he was going to stay around for a… well, forever.</p><p>"No!" Hyunjin said at the same time.</p><p>Minho looked between them. "Which is it? I'm inclined to believe the boy, Jin."</p><p>"I'm his boyfriend," Seungmin said firmly.</p><p>"Being gay is allowed?" Hyunjin asked him. Seungmin wanted to smack him.</p><p>"If you're his boyfriend I should hope so," Minho said. He turned to Seungmin and held up his hand to stage whisper. "Maybe you should leave him. I know plenty of gays to set you up with."</p><p>"I'm pretty attached to him, but thanks for the offer," Seungmin replied. "And yes, Hyunjin, should heaven exist, the gays are very much allowed."</p><p>"Can I quote you on that for my essay?" Jisung asked, spinning around from in front of them to contribute to the conversation for the first time.</p><p>"Absolutely not."</p><p>"You said you have to help me too now," Jisung argued. "And my essay is <em>greatly </em>distressing me so you have to help me."</p><p>"I have to watch you don't do anything stupid," Seungmin corrected. "And find you a friend called Changbin. Chan said nothing about helping you write an essay."</p><p>"If I start screaming about God will you help me?" Jisung bargained. Seungmin knew he would do it and glared at the boy, willing him not to. He’d had more visits from Chan in the last 24 hours than he normally got in a week.</p><p>"Am I missing something?" Minho asked loudly. "Why have you lot gone religious?"</p><p>"Seungminnie is an atheist," Hyunjin piped up. "And it really upsets Jisung because he's-"</p><p>"<em>NO,"</em> Seungmin said, slapping his free hand over Hyunjin's mouth. "I cannot have Chan giving me another human."</p><p>Minho stopped walking and Seungmin had to seriously resist the urge to make himself invisible. Note to self: don't call humans humans.</p><p>"Well, we've all fucked up now," Jisung said happily. "I vote we tell him."</p><p>"You don't get a vote," Seungmin said crossly. "Nobody gets a vote. This is not a democracy. I am not losing Hyunjin to satisfy someone's curiosity."</p><p>"I'm not going anywhere," Hyunjin said gently, taking Seungmin's hand off of his mouth and wrapping it in his. Now they were standing face to face, with both Seungmin’s hands clasped in Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin smiled, staring so deeply into Seungmin’s eyes that Seungmin forgot everything else. "We can keep Minho-hyung in the dark. It's alright."</p><p>"Now I'm really curious," Minho said, breaking Hyunjin’s spell, "but I won't ask. You mentioned a Changbin- is that Seo Changbin or am I not allowed to know?"</p><p>Seungmin bit his lip before squeezing Hyunjin's hands tight twice and letting go. "Can I borrow your phone? I'll ask Lixie."</p><p>"The plot thickens," Minho muttered as Hyunjin handed over his phone.</p><p>"I don't know about this either," Jisung offered comradery. "Seungmin is the only angel I know."</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin was momentarily distracted composing his message and Jisung's words were slow to register in his mind but when they did they sparked the anxiety already building pressure inside him.</p><p>"Han Jisung, the only help I will be giving you is to an early grave," he threatened. He then swiftly turned to Minho. "Do not react and I can salvage this. We need to get home <em>now."</em> His last words he directed to all of them. Seungmin tried to set a brisk pace but Hyunjin stopped him.</p><p>"Your back," he said. Seungmin had been too stressed to even realise he was in pain. Hyunjin handed his bag to Minho and turned his back to Seungmin, holding out his arms to the side . "Come on. I know you won't want to fly or walk slowly. I'll carry you and we can be home in no time."</p><p>Seungmin was reluctant but Hyunjin was right again. It was the best way to get home quickly. He linked his arms around Hyunjin's neck and Hyunjin hoisted him up, careful not to jolt him, and set off, his long legs setting a pace Jisung and Minho struggled to match. When they reached the building Jisung unlocked the door and stepped to the side to let Hyunjin past.</p><p>"How are you doing this, Angel?" Hyunjin asked at the bottom of the stairs, showing no sign of weariness. "Are you flying up?"</p><p>"He can actually fly?" Minho asked from behind them and Seungmin was reminded they were still against the clock.</p><p>"Carry me as far as you can," he decided, not wanting to show Minho any evidence of his divinity before he could explain. "I'll walk the rest."</p><p>"No problem," Hyunjin said and set at the stairs with determination. By the second floor he was waning and Seungmin loosened his grip to slide off. Hyunjin tightened his hold. "I'm getting you to the top," he promised. And he did, though the second Seungmin was firmly on two legs he slid down the wall to lie on the floor of their hallway.</p><p>"You need to do more squats," Minho said, stepping over him.</p><p>"I need to live on the ground floor," Hyunjin replied. "Those stairs have caused nothing but problems."</p><p>"<em>You</em> cause nothing but problems," Seungmin retorted. "Get out of the doorway so Jisung can shut the door and I can start spilling secrets to Minho."</p><p>"Minho-hyung," Minho corrected and dragged Hyunjin backwards by his ankles at the promise of secrets.</p><p>"I definitely outrank you," Seungmin said. Age-wise, it was difficult to tell. He was only aware of time when he was assigned to Hyunjin and his induction to the human world just prior to that was the earliest thing he remembered. Perhaps he'd been around longer than that but he didn't like to think about it.</p><p>"I'm not calling you Hyung, even if you have a halo," Minho replied. He dumped Hyunjin unceremoniously at the foot of the couch.</p><p>"No halo," Seungmin said as Hyunjin sat up with a hopeful look on his face. Hyunjin pouted and lay back down. "I do have wings though." Seungmin made them visible and carefully stretched them in the small space. Hyunjin reached out and ran his fingers over the white feathers as they passed him. Seungmin repressed the urge to shiver.</p><p>"I'd rather have the halo," Minho announced and dropped onto the couch.</p><p>"I like his wings," Hyunjin said as Seungmin folded them again. "You should stop hiding them around the apartment, Seungminnie."</p><p>"No," Seungmin said, hiding his wings.</p><p> </p><p>He may have broken the rules by telling three humans he was an angel but blatantly flaunting the secrecy felt wrong. Instead he was practicing the opposite- phasing his wings in isolation from the rest of his body in addition to keeping them invisible- but that was a much harder task to keep up. He'd keep working on it though because he’d found that day while walking around with Hyunjin that wings were really not the most practical limbs to have. They weren’t that big when folded up- arching up above his shoulders a little and down to the back of his knees- but they still stuck out from his back and in crowds he had kept hitting them off of doorways and getting wing-checked by confused strangers as he took up more space than their eyes told them he should. They also made sitting uncomfortable unless it was an open-backed chair. He’d damaged so many primaries from sitting on them alone and he had yet to find a good solution.</p><p><em>Felix must phase his,</em> Seungmin realised. Felix spent all his time sitting in clear view of humans so his wings must be hidden all the time, and phased to make sitting comfortable. And if Felix could do it while concentrating on a million things at once then surely Seungmin could manage it too. Seungmin focused again to phase his wings and he was sure he’d gotten it to work but then he felt a tug on one of his right primary feathers where it was skimming the back of his knee. He looked down sharply to see that Hyunjin had rolled over on the floor and reached up to grasp a feather.</p><p>"How are you doing that?”</p><p>"It's your feather, right?" Hyunjin asked, tugging lightly again. "I was looking before you made them invisible again."</p><p>"You shouldn't be able to touch it," Seungmin said, shrugging so the feather slipped out of Hyunjin's grasp. "My wings are phased." He’d <em>just</em> done it. He was sure of it.</p><p>"Maybe you made a mistake," Hyunjin said and sat up to reach for his feathers again. Seungmin could feel his fingers brushing through them.</p><p>"I didn't," Seungmin said firmly. He snapped his wings back open and the tips phased through the wall and furniture as expected. He shut them again. "It's just you," he informed Hyunjin grudgingly. "I shouldn't be surprised anymore, you always make things more complicated."</p><p>Hyunjin tilted his head and smiled sweetly up at him. It wasn't as effective as it had been before he hit puberty but it still softened Seungmin's frustration.</p><p>"Go learn your maths," Seungmin told him crossly, but the bite wasn't behind his words. "Stop keeping Minho waiting."</p><p>"Oh no," Minho waved them off from where he was reclining on the couch. "Continue. This is greatly entertaining. Out of interest- when you say 'phased' do you mean the atoms of your wings are moving in such a way as to pass between the atoms of other objects?"</p><p>"How would I know?" Seungmin asked tiredly. Hyunjin was touching his feathers again and it was very distracting. "I just <em>do it</em> and then I stop crashing into things."</p><p>"So you don't know how the invisibility works either?" Minho asked disappointedly.</p><p>"No."</p><p>Minho pouted. "That's a shame. I'd get a Nobel prize for sure if I discovered that. You don't fancy giving me a feather or something to study?"</p><p>"No." Seungmin knew Minho was mostly joking and he'd taken the news so well that Seungmin couldn't dislike him but the interest in how his divinity worked was making him anxious. "Can you just teach Hyunjin the maths please?"</p><p>"I'm still getting sushi, right?" Minho asked Hyunjin. "Because angels being real is cool and all but it's not going to cure my hunger for free food."</p><p>"We're getting sushi?" Jisung piped up, looking hopeful.</p><p>"<em>We're</em> getting sushi." Hyunjin gestured between him and Minho. "I'm not paying for you as well. How are you even still hungry? You just sat there while we danced."</p><p>"You owe me for springing angels on me this morning!" Jisung protested. "I can't finish my essay now!"</p><p>"You haven't even started it yet," Hyunjin retorted. "And I'm lending you my angel. That's payment."</p><p>"Seungmin is our angel," Jisung said.</p><p>"His angel," Seungmin said, pointing his thumb at Hyunjin. He refused to take responsibility for Jisung. "I'm not even on loan. I'm staying Hyunjin's angel, finding you this Changbin kid, and giving you back to Chan."</p><p>"When Chan comes to see me tonight I'll tell him you're not doing your job," Jisung threatened.</p><p>“Go for it.” Seungmin called his bluff. “Chan knows Hyunjin will always be my priority and if I ignore you it’s not like he can dock my pay.”</p><p>“You’re not paid?” Minho asked. “Dude, you should start a union.”</p><p>“That’s…” Seungmin frowned down at the ground. There were too many layers to go through in that suggestion. “No.”</p><p>“Why not?” Jisung wanted to know. “Is a servitude thing? Communication? Does the world blow up if you go on strike?” He had a notebook and a pen readied.</p><p>“Yes to all of them,” Seungmin said. “Maybe? Or I... die? They don’t exactly lay out the alternative career paths when you’re given a Purpose.” All of a sudden it was abundantly clear to Seungmin how far off his Purpose he was. He might be able to hide it from Chan but, if Hyunjin really was so special, someone higher up the food chain would be watching and if they’d seen even five minutes in the last 24 hours he’d be decommissioned in an instant. “Ohhhhh I’m going to die,” Seungmin whispered, surprised at how scared that thought made him feel. “They’re definitely going to kill me. For sure. I’m a terrible angel and-”</p><p>“<em>Angel,”</em> Hyunjin said, hurrying to stand and wrapping Seungmin in a hug from behind. It stopped Seungmin crumpling to the ground as his knees gave out. “Shhh, it’s ok. It’s ok, Seungminnie,” Hyunjin murmured. Seungmin could feel his steady heart beating against the fine bones of his wings. He shouldn’t be able to. Hyunjin shouldn’t be able to touch his wings, shouldn’t know he existed, shouldn’t be the one helping him.</p><p>It was all too much.</p><p> </p><p>“Where did he go!” Jisung exclaimed as Seungmin phased out of his sight.</p><p>“He’s right here,” Hyunjin said calmly, keeping a strong pressure around Seungmin with his hug. He really shouldn’t be able to do that. “Angel, don’t run. It’s ok.” He hooked his chin over Seungmin’s shoulder and pulled one hand back to reach for his phone. “I think you need a friend so I’m going to try to call Felix, ok?”</p><p>“It won’t work,” Seungmin said. His voice was hidden and, oddly, Hyunjin seemed unable to hear it, the same as the other humans in the room. Seungmin was sure it would only be a matter of time.</p><p>“It’s not working,” Hyunjin noted.</p><p>“Wait- did you just <em>text </em>an angel?” Jisung asked.</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin missed Hyunjin’s reply as it felt like a wave rose around him and muffled the world. What was he <em>doing</em>? An angel wasn’t supposed to live like this. He was supposed to watch from afar, only intervene when necessary, but he’d gone and turned three humans’ lives upside down. They’d never get that ignorance back and it was his fault. He couldn’t even help them because there was so much he didn’t know, so much he couldn’t do. Had <em>he</em> given Hyunjin the power to resist phasing by revealing himself? Would it happen to Jisung and Minho too? How far would it go and how long until he was decommissioned and they were left to deal with it alone?</p><p>“Seungminnie, look at me,” a gentle, commanding voice said. Seungmin blinked, trying to focus, and Chan was in front of him, holding his hands and smiling warmly. “That’s it, Minnie. Good job.” Chan pulled him into a tight hug, enclosing Seungmin entirely in his wings and shutting out the world around them. “Deep breaths, Minnie. You’re ok.”</p><p>Seungmin found himself shaking and crying into Chan’s shoulder as he tried to explain. Chan ran his hand up and down his back under his wings and kept talking to him. “It’s alright. Don’t try to talk. I really should have gotten Innie to take over for you yesterday. You’re not well.”</p><p>“I'm, fine,” Seungmin sobbed.</p><p>“You need rest, Minnie,” Chan said. “I’ve caught moments of pain from you since the accident and your mind hasn’t been calm the way it normally is. I should have realised it was too much for you to do all at once.”</p><p>“Hyu-Hyunjin,” Seungmin protested, trying to push his way out of Chan’s embrace.</p><p>“That boy doesn’t realise how lucky he is,” Chan sighed. He opened his wings and Seungmin turned around to find the three Humans staring into space. Jisung and Minho were on the couch and Hyunjin was cross-legged on the floor in front of them. None of them seemed to be aware of their surroundings. “I think I went a bit heavy with the calming energy,” Chan admitted. “I didn’t want Hyunjin to do anything dangerous while you were occupied.”</p><p>Seungmin reached out to touch Hyunjin’s shoulder and the boy’s focus shifted slightly in his direction. “Angel?”</p><p>“I’m here,” Seungmin said, making himself visible. Hyunjin blinked at him. “Chan really knocked you, huh?” Seungmin noted. Minho and Jisung were so out of it they were just sprawled out on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He turned back to Chan. “How long are they going to be like this?”</p><p>Chan shrugged. “You were my priority. I need to go but I’ll get Jeongin to join you for a few days. Do you think you’ll be ok?”</p><p>“Jisung and Minho know,” Seungmin said helplessly.</p><p>“They’re good kids,” Chan said, smiling as Jisung toppled sideways onto Minho. “Our secret is safe with them. You’ll see- this will get easier.” Chan reached out to give Seungmin one final hug. “Innie will be here soon. I’ll be back tonight if I can.” And with that he was gone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and the plot <i>thickens</i></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i cant decide who i love most in this chapter</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hyunjin,” Seungmin said, crouching and rubbing his thumb across Hyunjin’s cheek. “Can you answer me?” It would probably be easier for him if he just left the humans until they came back to themselves but seeing Hyunjin so quiet was a little stressful. He normally only got like that when he was having a really bad day and while Seungmin knew that wasn’t the case now but he couldn’t help but be worried.</p><p>“Seungminnie?” Hyunjin said in a faraway voice. “My angel?”</p><p>“Yeah, your angel is here,” Seungmin agreed. “Can you come back for me?”</p><p>Hyunjin reached out and grasped Seungmin’s arm. His eyes focused on Seungmin’s for a second before sliding off again. “You were scared,” he mumbled.</p><p>“I’m ok now,” Seungmin said. He wiped the tear trails off his cheeks. “I thought- I thought something bad would happen but Chan said it will be ok and Innie is coming to help me.”</p><p>Hyunjin hummed happily. Whatever Chan had done had been potent. Jisung had managed to fully fall asleep and Minho was petting his head without looking. Seungmin wondered if Minho even knew where he was anymore.</p><p>“And then Minho is going to teach you some maths and go home and not tell anyone about me,” Seungmin continued, more to comfort himself than inform Hyunjin. If Minho remembered maths Seungmin would be amazed.</p><p>Jeongin flew through the window and grinned at Seungmin as he landed with a bounce. “Thanks for the time off.”</p><p>“That’s not what this is,” Seungmin said, rolling his eyes. “You’re just helping until Jisung stops having a crisis.” <em>And hopefully get used to keeping Angels a secret.</em> Minho, Seungmin wasn’t worried about. He seemed like a cagey person and hadn’t panicked in the same way Jisung had. As long as they both managed to continue about their normal lives Seungmin should be ok. Should.</p><p>“That’s that one, right?” Jeongin asked, pointing to where Jisung was drooling on Minho’s lap. “Looks easy enough.”</p><p>“He’s loud,” Seungmin warned. “And he asks a lot of questions.”</p><p>“Hi, Disaster Boy,” Jeongin greeted Hyunjin, already bored with Jisung. “What have you done now?”</p><p>Hyunjin reached out and grabbed Jeongin’s ankle.</p><p>“What the heck!” Jeongin said, shaking Hyunjin off like he was a bug. “I thought I was phased.”</p><p>“You are,” Seungmin said tiredly. “He can do that now.”</p><p>“And you’re <em>sure</em> he’s not the antichrist?” Jeongin asked.</p><p>“He’s not,” Seungmin said, taking Hyunjin’s hands off of Jeongin and pulling him to his feet. Hyunjin went willingly as Seungmin guided him to the table and sat him down. “He’s just a little gifted.”</p><p>“That’s what they said about Satan,” Jeongin retorted.</p><p> </p><p>By the time all the humans were lucid again Jeongin was fully caught up on the perilous jenga tower that was Seungmin’s life.</p><p>“Sushi,” was the first thing Jisung said in an hour.</p><p>“Yes. Sushi,” Minho agreed as he came out of his daze. By this point Hyunjin had already had a shower and introduced Jeongin to mint chocolate ice cream (Jeongin loved it).</p><p>“Sushi in exchange for maths,” Seungmin reminded them. The learning had been severely delayed by his meltdown and he didn’t want it pushed back any later.</p><p>Minho looked at him blankly and then looked at Jeongin. He pointed. “Is he another one of you?”</p><p>“Yes,” Seungmin replied. “He’s back-up.”</p><p>“He looks like he’s twelve,” Minho observed.</p><p>Seungmin turned to really look at Jeongin. He had big eyes and rounded cheeks. It made him look innocent though Seungmin knew the mind behind those eyes was sharp and scathing. He supposed Jeongin looked a little like a child. He probably did himself too. It was easier to get Humans to do as you wanted to when you looked cute.</p><p>“He’s not,” Seungmin told Minho.</p><p>“I’ve been working in this district for eighteen years,” Jeongin added.</p><p>“Most Guardian Angels cover districts,” Seungmin said quickly when he realised he’d never gotten around to explaining his existence to Minho. “Hyunjin gets a personal angel- that’s me. It’s very rare and we don’t know why he’s special.”</p><p>“So when am I getting sushi?” Minho asked. “Now?”</p><p>
  <em>Well, that was easier than Jisung.</em>
</p><p>“I’ll order it now,” Hyunjin placated him. “Seungminnie? Innie? Do you want some?”</p><p>“We shouldn’t be eating food,” Jeongin whispered harshly to Seungmin.</p><p>“Chan eats,” Seungmin countered.</p><p>“I’ll order for you,” Hyunjin decided as the two angels continued to argue. “Sung will eat it if you don’t.”</p><p>“Sushi?” Jisung asked again, barely focusing on the conversation.</p><p>“Just go back to sleep, Jisung,” Seungmin told him off-handedly. Either Chan’s Suggestion was still in effect or Seungmin accidently added to it because Jisung’s eyes slid closed and he slumped back down to Minho’s lap.</p><p>“This is the best job <em>ever,” </em>Jeongin said, taking a seat by Jisung’s feet. “I don’t have to do anything!”</p><p> </p><p>Jeongin took back those words when the sushi arrived and Jisung woke up enough to start questioning him.</p><p>“What do you think about nuclear missiles?” Jisung asked Jeongin around a mouthful of sashimi.</p><p>Jeongin went invisible and stepped behind Seungmin for good measure. “I don’t like him,” he mumbled to Seungmin, clinging to the back of his hoodie.</p><p>“Jisung stop harassing Innie,” Seungmin said. “He’s not going to answer your questions.”</p><p>“What do <em>you </em>think about nuclear missiles then?” Jisung asked.</p><p>“Humans are awful,” Seungmin replied, stealing some salmon from Hyunjin’s plate without the accompanying rice. “You make everything worse.”</p><p>“So nuclear weapons are bad in the eye of God?” Jisung asked a leading question.</p><p>Seungmin rolled his eyes. “I’m not God and God doesn’t care.”</p><p>“That’s absolutely no help for my essay, Seungmin-ssi,” Jisung said. “It’s six thousand words. I can’t just write ‘God doesn’t care, do what you want. References: My flatmate’s angel.’”</p><p>“You could,” Minho countered. “Just say ‘the price of humanity’s freedom was the burden of choice’ and then microanalyse the perfect cup of coffee or some shit. Lecturers eat that shit up.”</p><p>“Say that again,” Jisung said, fumbling for his notebook.</p><p> </p><p>Minho left after eleven, having helped both Hyunjin and Jisung with their schoolwork and been paid handsomely in sushi. Seungmin rested his head on Jeongin’s shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment. Jeongin had been convinced to remain visible while he was in the flat but being seen was still a new experience and it was stressing him to be asked so many questions. Seungmin had fielded as many as he could but he’d only had a day more experience than Jeongin and it had been a very difficult day at that.</p><p>“Bedtime, angels?” Hyunjin asked softly once he was done clearing away the leftover food.</p><p>“We don’t sleep,” Seungmin reminded him without opening his eyes.</p><p>“You are not cuddling me, Disaster Boy,” Jeongin grumbled.</p><p>Hyunjin laughed. “Seungminnie will cuddle me,” he said confidently. “We could watch a film? Give the pair of you a human education?”</p><p>“I know more about humans than you ever will,” Jeongin retorted. Seungmin opened his eyes to break up the fight he could sense about to start but Jeongin wasn’t finished and surprised him by being friendly to Hyunjin. “Can we watch Moana?”</p><p>“We can <em>definitely </em>watch Moana,” Hyunjin said, dropping down onto the couch beside Seungmin and stretching his arm along the backrest. “Have you seen it before?”</p><p>“Only little bits,” Jeongin said. “A lot of kids have been watching it.”</p><p>“Seungminnie? Did you watch it with me before?”</p><p>Seungmin hadn’t. He’d seen Hyunjin was safe in a dark movie theatre for a couple of hours and clocked out. He shook his head and Hyunjin stroked the hair on the back of his head with a fond smile . It was soothing and Seungmin had to resist the unusual urge to tip his head back and encourage more attention. Angels didn’t really do much physical affection. The occasional hug maybe, like Chan had done, but mostly they were content to sit next to each other if they had the time to be together. Hyunjin was adding a whole new side to Seungmin’s life and he found he was really enjoying how touchy the human was, though he would never initiate it.</p><p>“I think you’ll relate to the sea,” Hyunjin told him, talking about the film. Seungmin had no idea what that meant but he was happy to sit and watch a nice animation.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>"I liked that," Seungmin said when the film was done. Hyunjin was right, he did relate to the sea, perhaps a little too strongly. He wondered if Hyunjin had done the equivalent of saving a baby turtle when he was a toddler and that's why he was here.</p><p>"That was <em>great,"</em> Jeongin said. He was more alert now than Seungmin had ever seen him. "Can I watch more?"</p><p>"Sure," Hyunjin said. He reached for his laptop and opened Netflix and YouTube for Jeongin before passing it over. "Watch to your heart's content. Actually, watch Sky Castle," he decided and took the laptop back to set it up. "I want to hear your thoughts on it."</p><p>"Is it about Heaven?" Jeongin asked in confusion as the opening credits played. The title had confused him.</p><p>Hyunjin laughed. "Ah, maybe that's why it's called that. No, it's about rich people. I'm going to bed now but Sung will be up for hours so knock on his door as long as you can still hear him if you need something. Seungminnie, are you watching Sky Castle too?"</p><p>"Can I..?" Seungmin started hesitantly. He didn't want to make Hyunjin uncomfortable but he really didn't like having the boy out of his sight. "Can I come to your room?"</p><p>"Of course!" Hyunjin smiled. "Just let me get ready for bed first." He dashed off and Jeongin looked up from the laptop.</p><p>"You're going to cuddle him again, aren't you," he asked disapprovingly.</p><p>"No," Seungmin replied. "I'll just sit on his desk chair. Maybe text Lix. I forgot to check if he replied to my Changbin question.”</p><p>"Changbin?" Jeongin asked. "Have you told another human?"</p><p><em>"No," </em>Seungmin said crossly. "I didn't even tell Minho, that was Jisung's fault. Changbin is also Jisung's fault. He's the boy Chan wants me to get Jisung to befriend, though it's probably your job now."</p><p>Jeongin pulled a face, his mouth turning down dramatically. "I didn't agree to that."</p><p>"You didn't agree to anything," Seungmin pointed out. "We don't get <em>choice,</em> we just <em>do."</em></p><p>"So do I find Changbin and just point Jisung in his direction?" Jeongin asked. "Or do I have to do a meet cute?"</p><p>Seungmin shrugged. "One of the many problems I have not solved. Anyway, have fun!" And with that he slipped out the room to Hyunjin's bedroom where Jeongin wouldn't follow.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this is a fast upload so you might have 2 chapters to read if you check once a day :) enjoy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin stepped back into his room from the bathroom in his regular pyjamas and his fluffy pastel hair band. It had been missing the night before though Seungmin knew he wore it every night. Seungmin grinned. “Cute.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Hyunjin said goodnaturedly. “I realised you’ve probably seen it a million times before.”</p><p>“Not that much actually,” Seungmin admitted. “I’m normally on the roof. I liked the one with bunnies.”</p><p>“Bunnies?” Hyunjin asked as he plugged in his phone to charge. His jaw dropped suddenly as he remembered. “The blue one? I was like ten or something- how do you remember that?”</p><p>“Because it was cute,” Seungmin said. Truthfully, Seungmin probably remembered more of Hyunjin’s childhood than Hyunjin himself because he had been so determined to look after him and Hyunjin had been so unbearably adorable it was difficult not to treasure every memory.</p><p>Hyunjin smoothed his hair back behind his head band and rested his hands on his head as he thought. “Please forget everything you know about me,” he requested. “Let me make a good first impression.”</p><p>Seungmin shook his head quickly. “The first time I saw you you were eating sand. I’m not forgetting that. It took fifteen minutes to convince you it wasn’t a good idea.”</p><p>“Nooo,” Hyunjin whined and flopped down onto his bed. “Why would I eat sand?”</p><p>“You were five,” Seungmin reminded him. “You ate a lot of things you weren’t supposed to.” He hadn’t intended it but somehow Hyunjin had got him to lie down next to him. He tried to get back up but Hyunjin put a leg across his waist. “Hyunjin, I have work.”</p><p>“No you don’t,” Hyunjin argued. “I’m going to bed.”</p><p>“I’ve got to find this Changbin kid. I messaged Felix but I didn’t check again to see if he replied with information.”</p><p>Hyunjin pressed down on Seungmin’s shoulder as he reached over him to get his phone, preventing Seungmin from leaving the bed even if he wanted to. “Felix, Felix, Felix,” Hyunjin said to himself. He held up his phone so Seungmin could see as he navigated to his messages. “He replied. Instagram link and, <em>wow,</em> a lot of personal information. Should I be reading this?”</p><p>“Probably not,” Seungmin admitted, taking the phone off of him. Felix had included facts about Changbin- he was a medical student the year above Hyunjin and Jisung, didn’t have the best mental health currently, wrote deep poems on his phone that Felix ‘hacked’. As well as facts, Felix had also included his personal opinion which was a truly gushing review about how incredible Changbin’s body was and (disturbingly) how he wanted to live in Changbin’s brain rent free.  “How do I see the instagram?” Seungmin asked. He knew that was where he would see the pictures he needed to identify this boy.</p><p>Hyunjin clicked the link Felix had sent. “Ok, Felix has good taste,” Hyunjin said. “Damn, the duality,” he mumbled as he scrolled.</p><p>Seungmin took the phone back. “Stop thirsting. This is work,” he scolded him half-heartedly.</p><p>“Can I steal Felix’s job?” Hyunjin asked jokely. “I wouldn’t mind staring at that all day.” He left Seungmin be though and rolled over him again to kneel by the bed to do his nightly prayer. </p><p>“You don’t have to do that,” Seungmin reminded Hyunjin as he committed Changbin’s face to memory. From Felix’s message he also had his likely course schedule and common hang-out spots. It shouldn’t be too hard to get him and Jisung to bump into each other.</p><p>“Pray to you?” Hyunjin answered. “I most definitely do. Do you want it out loud or can I do it in my head?”</p><p>“I can’t read your mind so do it in your head please,” Seungmin said. Of course, Hyunjin didn't do that.</p><p>“Dear Seungminnie,”</p><p>“<em>Hyunjin…” </em>Seungmin said warningly though he knew it wouldn’t deter him.</p><p>“<em>Dear Seungminnie,” </em>Hyunjin redoubled his efforts. “I’m sorry today has been hard for you. You did kind of bring it on yourself when you told Jisung you were an angel though. I tried to stop you- you should listen to me more. I pray Jisung is less chaotic tomorrow and you can have an easy day. I can even stay in the apartment all day if you need because I have no classes. I also pray you don’t get into any more trouble for telling me you are my angel and that Jeongin can stay for a little while because you both deserve it. Oh, and of course I pray that my family stays safe and healthy. That’s it! Amen.”</p><p>Hyunjin scrambled up to get the light and then dived over the footrest of his bed to get under the covers. There was a solid thud as he did so and he curled up next to Seungmin with a muffled groan of pain.</p><p>“Where did you hurt?” Seungmin asked with a sigh. </p><p>“I banged my shin,” Hyunjin gasped. “It’s fine.” </p><p>Seungmin had meant to get out of the bed before Hyunjin went to sleep but he’d have to help him now and then Hyunjin would latch on. It wasn’t so bad but it just felt like he was doing the wrong thing to be having such a nice time, relaxed and cuddled with his human. Still, he could reason with himself that cuddling was work-related if he was healing Hyunjin of injuries. </p><p>Seungmin sat up awkwardly. His back still twinged with pain but he could move through it now and wasn’t crippled like he had been the previous night. “Right. Show me where,” he said, business-like. </p><p>“You-” Hyunjin uncurled from his ball and frowned at Seungmin in the semi-darkness. “You’re glowing?”</p><p>“Yes. I’m like your silly dinosaur stickers,” Seungmin said, referring to the glow-in-the-dark animals stuck to the headboard of Hyunjin’s bed at his parents house. He’d put them there as a child when he was in a dinosaur phase and never bothered to peel them back off when he got too cool to be obsessed with dinosaurs. The glow they gave off also stopped him smacking his head into the wall behind them when he crawled up his bed from the light switch in the dark. Multi-purpose dinosaurs and multi-purpose angel.</p><p>“You didn’t do that last night,” Hyunjin said. </p><p>“I did,” Seungmin said. “It comes from my wings and I was under the duvet last night so they were hidden. Show me where you hurt your leg.”</p><p>“Are you going to kiss it better?” Hyunjin joked, pointing out a skinned mark on his shin that was beginning to darken with a bruise.</p><p>“Obviously,” Seungmin grumbled. He’d never done this with Hyunjin watching and he got a little self-conscious as he ducked down to press his lips to the injury. Hyunjin flexed his foot when Seungmin pulled away and the muscles by his shin bunched.</p><p>“Thanks, Angel,” he said sweetly and cupped the back of Seungmin’s head as he sat back up to give him a repayment kiss on the temple. “I’d be a mess without you.”</p><p>“Oh, I know,” Seungmin grumbled to hide the fact he was blushing. If his wings could just be a <em>little</em> less bright that would be great. True to his prediction, Hyunjin pulled him down to lie with him, yawning as he got comfortable.</p><p>“Are you in the least pain when you're on your back?” he asked as Seungmin fidgeted beside him.</p><p>“My wings are squashed like this,” he admitted, and paused as Hyunjin reached out and managed to touch them <em>again,</em> “which isn’t great but I don’t know how else to lie.” Lying like Hyunjin was, half on his side and half on his front would make his back scream out in pain.</p><p>“Your front?” Hyunjin suggested, tipping himself over to demonstrate. “Then your wings are free.”</p><p>Seungmin copied his position and it was fine until he brought his hands up under his chin. It must have put his lower back at just the wrong angle and suddenly there was pain shooting up his spine and he was powerless to end it.</p><p>“Oh God, oh God,” Hyunjin said, quickly kneeling. He panicked the whole way through but managed to get Seungmin’s hips up enough for his back to straighten and then Seungmin could breathe again and think enough to get back to a safer position without hurting himself further. It seemed the day just wasn’t ready for him to finish yet.</p><p>“That hurt,” Seungmin noted breathlessly when he was safely and uncomfortably lying back on his wings again. </p><p>“Can Jeongin kiss it better?” Hyunjin asked, still hovering over him on his knees.</p><p>Seungmin shook his head and tugged Hyunjin’s hand to get him to lie back down. “Believe it or not, my back is already healing at that speed,” he explained. “It’s nearly fine now. I was just dumb to forget I can’t bend that way yet.”</p><p>“Ok, just, lie there nice and still,” Hyunjin said, patting down on Seungmin’s shoulders as if he was going to float away if Hyunjin didn’t keep him in place. “I’ll be at this side,” he said, crawling until he was right against the wall. “That way I won’t jostle you.”</p><p>“I’m not made of glass,” Seungmin said and reached out to find Hyunjin’s arm and tug him back to a comfortable position. “You can cuddle me if you want to,” Seungmin offered. “I know you want to.”</p><p>“You’re sure?” Hyunjin asked, already wriggling closer.</p><p>“Sure.” The word had barely left his mouth and Hyunjin was wrapped around his nearest arm, nuzzling against his shoulder. “Goodnight Hyunjin, sleep well,” Seungmin said with a smile, content to hold this position as long as Hyunjin slept.</p><p>“Night, Seungminnie,” Hyunjin mumbled. “Love you.” And then he was just <em>asleep</em> and Seungmin had all night to contemplate how bad a sign that was.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>David Attenborough Legend</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t believe you didn’t come see me all night,” Seungmin groused to Jeongin when he got up at around five o’clock. Seungmin had had several long hours alone with his thoughts and they were no less jumbled than they were before. It frustrated him to the point of leaving Hyunjin’s side in favour of distraction. Distraction in the form of Jeongin.</p><p>“Hyunjin told me to watch Sky Castle!” Jeongin excused himself.</p><p>“And did you?”</p><p>“No.. But the people had all these problems and I have to deal with that every day.” Jeongin waved the idea off dismissively. “Jisung showed me a cheetah video,” He said, much more enthusiastically. “So I’ve been watching<em> Planet Earth</em>. There’s this really old human and he goes all over the world and shows you all of the animals he finds. It’s <em>fascinating</em>.”</p><p>“Right,” Seungmin said. He didn’t really get what was so fascinating about that.</p><p>“No. <em>Look,”</em> Jeongin said, turning the laptop to Seungmin. “You’ve heard of giraffes, right? <em>Look at them. </em>They’re fighting by just spinning their heads around like a nunchuck. Why? That’s so weird. And I won’t even start on sloths. It’s like God designed them to die in as many ways as possible.”</p><p>“Not designed,” Seungmin reminded him. “Evolution.”</p><p>“I may yet be convinced,” Jeongin allowed grudgingly with narrowed eyes and went back to his videos.</p><p>“Is Jisung asleep?” Seungmin asked. He already knew he was, having been awake and listening to the sounds of the apartment all night, but he wanted Jeongin to remember that he was here for a purpose.</p><p>“He’s so deep in sleep he won’t be up for hours,” Jeongin said dismissively. “Hyunjin?”</p><p>“Yeah, I’m guessing he won’t surface until at least eleven. What do you want to do?”</p><p>“Watch <em>Planet Earth</em>.”</p><p>“Jeongin.”</p><p>“Ok, we can talk about how you will tell Hyunjin all about angels but you won’t tell him that you're terrified all the time that he might get hurt?” Jeongin said. It was too well worded for him not to have been planning this.</p><p>Seungmin glowered. “No.”</p><p>“Seungminnie, you need to tell him,” Jeongin pressed. “He can <em>help</em> and you’re just going to get more stressed otherwise.”</p><p>“My job is to make his life easier,” Seungmin protested. “I’m not doing that if I’m burdening him with my problems. We’re not supposed to <em>have</em> problems! We’re supposed to fix them!”</p><p>“I have problems all the time!!” Jeongin retorted. “That’s what Chan is for. You have unrealistic expectations for yourself.”</p><p>Seungmin had an argument about duty readied on his tongue but it melted as Hyunjin stumbled into the room, eyes still mostly closed.</p><p> </p><p>“Angels, shhh,” Hyunjin mumbled, rubbing at his eye. “It’s night time.”</p><p>“We’re inaudible, right?” Jeongin asked Seungmin.</p><p>“Theoretically,” Seungmin grumbled quietly as he held out a hand to get Hyunjin to sit before he fell back asleep while standing. Hyunjin crawled onto the sofa behind him and buried his face in the dip between Seungmin’s wings. “Hyunjin, you should go back to sleep,” Seungmin told him as Hyunjin’s arms circled his waist. “In your bed,” he added. “We’ll be quieter.”</p><p>“I’ll sl…..here.” Hyunjin said, rubbing his cheek against Seungmin’s feathers as he got comfortable.</p><p>“So he can touch phased angels <em>and</em> hear inaudible angels now,” Jeongin noted. “He couldn’t do that yesterday. Are you<em> sure</em> he’s not the antichrist.”</p><p>“‘M not a demon,” Hyunjin grumbled. He yawned, ruffling Seungmin’s topmost flight feathers with his breath, and let his heavy head rest against Seungmin’s right wing. Knowing him, he would be asleep again in seconds.</p><p>“I said <em>antichrist,”</em> Jeongin said a little louder. He was enjoying himself far too much. “Do you know if your father was present at your conception?”</p><p>“<em>Jeongin!” </em>Seungmin scolded. He knew Jeongin was joking but Hyunjin wouldn’t. “Apologise!”</p><p>“I don’t actually think you’re the antichrist,” Jeongin told Hyunjin with a roll of his eyes. Hyunjin wasn't looking at him anyway. “That would involve more ego and less miracles. There is a good chance you’re the Second Coming though.”</p><p>Seungmin suddenly felt a prickling across his skin, starting at the back of his neck and running down his limbs and up to his temples. Only Hyunjin’s arms, relaxed and heavy against his thighs kept him grounded and Seungmin grasped for Hyunjin’s wrist, squeezing tighter than he meant to. He didn’t even mean to squeeze Hyunjin at all but the boy woke from his doze with a noise of confusion.</p><p>“Angel?”</p><p>“It’s a joke, Seungmin,” Jeongin said quickly, reaching out for Seungmin as Hyunjin peered worriedly around Seungmin’s shoulder. “Just a joke.”</p><p>“What if he is?” Seungmin whispered.</p><p>“What am I now?” Hyunjin asked sleepily.</p><p>“The Second Coming of Christ,” Seungmin said numbly. The prickling on his skin had stopped but it left him feeling weirdly detached from reality.</p><p>“No,” Hyunjin said confidently, patting Seungmin’s hand. “That’s silly. I’m just Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Hyunjin, you shouldn’t be able to see or touch me right now,” Seungmin reminded him as Hyunjin absently pressed his lips against the shoulder of Seungmin’s hoodie. Seungmin wondered if he was deliberately being a grounding presence or if he was keeping Seungmin aware of his body accidently.</p><p>“It’s fine,” Hyunjin said. “I signed the NDA. I’m not going to tell anyone.” He laid his head on Seungmin’s shoulder. “Can we go back to bed now?”</p><p>“We?!” Jeongin whispered harshly. Seungmin was going to be teased mercilessly about this for years.</p><p>Hyunjin lifted his head and made a face that was a combination of a pout and a frown. With his messy bed head completing the look he won Seungmin over. “Ok, we can go back to your room,” Seungmin agreed.</p><p>“Birch, I’m right here,” Jeongin said, throwing up his hands. “We were having a conversation.”</p><p>“You can cuddle too?” Hyunjin offered as he stood up and latched back onto Seungmin’s back as soon as Seungmin had got to his feet.</p><p>“I will pass on that,” Jeongin replied scathingly. “Do you know where I can get more videos of sloths?”</p><p>“Sloths?” Hyunjin asked doubtfully.</p><p>“Their stupid bodies are making Innie reconsider his view on evolution,” Seungmin explained quickly. “Any weird animal will do.”</p><p>“Jisungie knows all the weird aminals,” Hyunjin said, mixing up his syllables as he was kept from sleep a minute longer. “Just watch puppy videos,” he recommended. “There’s a folder on my desktop.”</p><p>“Where?” Jeongin asked and Hyunjin reluctantly detached from Seungmin. Seungmin missed the solid warmth of him at his back immediately.</p><p>“Click the thing,” Hyunjin explained, pointing at the screen Jeongin held out. “That. Yeah. Puppies. Bye.” And before Seungmin knew what was going on Hyunjin had dragged him from the room.</p><p> </p><p>“How’s your back?” Hyunjin enquired as he tumbled back into bed. The duvet had been left crumpled and Seungmin tucked him back in.</p><p>“All healed,” Seungmin reported. He moved to go sit on Hyunjin’s desk chair and Hyunjin made a noise of protest. Seungmin turned back to him. He knew exactly what Hyunjin wanted but he was supposed to be Hyunjin's Guardian Angel, not his friend or his friend-that-shares-his-bed. The lines had blurred and Seungmin needed to draw them again or he’d forget his Purpose. “I’m just going to sit in your chair, Hyunjin,” he said as if he’d thought Hyunjin’s distress was about him leaving the room. “I’ll be right here.”</p><p>“Ok,” Hyunjin said dejectedly. He curled on his side, facing Seungmin. “I’ll see you in the morning.”</p><p>“I’ll be here,” Seungmin assured him. As soon as Hyunjin had fully drifted off Seungmin stood and went back through to Jeongin. Jeongin had gotten bored of Hyunjin’s puppy videos and had somehow started a video call with Felix. Or more likely, Felix had started a video call with him.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Minnie!” Felix said as Seungmin came into frame. “Are you feeling alright?”</p><p>“Why do you ask?” Seungmin said dryly. He wondered if it was Chan or Jeongin that informed Felix of his existential crisis. “Yeah, I’m fine. Hyunjin is asleep and Jisung is no longer my problem.”</p><p>“Jisung is great,” Jeongin said. “He showed me a bunch of lizard videos and then went to sleep when I told him to.”</p><p>“You shouldn’t use Suggestion on him too much,” Seungmin warned. “It’ll mess with his thought processing.”</p><p>“He’s a philosophy student,” Jeongin argued. “His thought processing is already beyond saving. And if I didn’t tell him to sleep he would still be up right now, watching frogs on trampolines or some shift.”</p><p>Felix finished typing something and looked up at them. “That’s nothing,” he said. “I should show you some of the stuff I have to watch sometime. There’s a kid here making a field of ducks on minecraft. He’s been at it for seven hours.”</p><p>“Not ducks?” Seungmin checked. Their inability to use profanity got very irritating.</p><p>“Not ducks,” Felix confirmed. His eyes darted around as he looked at a hundred different things in front of him, hitting the keyboard so aggressively Seungmin couldn’t see how that would produce words. Maybe it wasn’t. “B.R.B,” Felix said suddenly and then his voice pitch changed to call out. “Mate, that was sick! Good job!” His eyes flicked back to Seungmin and Jeongin. “I’m playing fortnite,” he explained, his relaxed vocal tone back.</p><p>“For work?” Jeongin asked sceptically.</p><p>“Of course for work,” Felix replied. “Technically, I’m playing three games right now but that kid has low self-esteem so it helps if I praise him verbally. How much free time do you guys have right now?”</p><p>“Forever!” Jeongin crowed. “Well, until Chan calls me back to my regular position.”</p><p>Seungmin cuffed the back of his head. “This isn’t vacation. You’re only free until Jisung wakes up. Maybe not even until then because I bet you haven’t found Changbin yet.”</p><p>Jeongin groaned. “I’ll do it later.”</p><p>“Changbin?” Felix asked, perking up. “That guy is so cool. I can’t believe you get to actually meet him.”</p><p>“Any idea how to get him and Jisung to.." Jeongin frowned. He'd already forgotten why he was here. "What was it, Minnie?”</p><p>“I dunno,” Seungmin admitted. “I was too mad to listen to Chan when he told me. I think it was just friendship?”</p><p>“Do strangers to lovers speedrun, Innie,” Felix suggested and then got distracted making gunfire noises. “Ha!”</p><p>“Working hard, Lixie?” Seungmin asked jokely.</p><p>“So much working,” Felix replied, not looking at them. “Bam! Work. Pew pew! Work. ‘You look adorable in that dress!’ Work.”</p><p>“Ok, back to <em>my</em> job,” Jeongin said. “What do Changbin and Jisung have in common?”</p><p>“Uhh, words?” Felix suggested.</p><p>“Words?” Seungmin said sceptically. “They can both speak?”</p><p>“No, like, they’re both good with words. Hey- do you think I can come over? I can probably do everything I’ve got at the minute from a phone and I never get to hang out like you guys do.”</p><p>“Of course,” Seungmin said. “The humans both know about you already so you don’t have to worry about phasing either.”</p><p>“Sweet!” Felix said. “I’ll be there in a minute.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hello, people who do not live here,” Seungmin heard Jisung greet Jeongin and Felix when he woke up. “Are there really only two of you or is someone invisible?”</p><p>“Minnie is in Hyunjin’s room,” Felix told him. “But we’re all visible. Minnie said it was fine.”</p><p>“Seungmin sure invites a lot of people over for someone who doesn't pay rent," Jisung replied loudly. </p><p>"I pay rent in making sure your kitchen doesn't go up in flames!" Seungmin yelled back. "And yesterday you were complaining that you didn't have an angel- now you have two!" Despite all the yelling Hyunjin slept peacefully on. </p><p>Seungmin had come back through as he got closer to waking to keep his promise and impulsively sat on Hyunjin's bed instead of the chair as he intended. Now Hyunjin has his face pressed against Seungmin's hip and his hand in the crook of Seungmin's knee. He did less sleep-dancing like this, Seungmin had noticed. He was more peaceful. Hyunjin’s hairband had fallen off in his sleep and was somewhere under the covers leaving his long hair to fall across his face, hiding his eyes. Seungmin pressed one finger very gently in the centre of Hyunjin’s forehead and drew it over his eyebrow, up to his ear to push back the soft black strands. He saw Hyunjin’s closed eyelid for a second before his fringe escaped to blanket him in darkness again. That was probably just as well because the sun was climbing higher and higher in the sky and Hyunjin had left his curtains open. Not that the light was likely to wake Hyunjin up anyway- Hyunjin slept through anything. Well, almost anything. For some reason he’d woken up when Seungmin had left the bed in the middle of the night. Seungmin didn’t want to draw conclusions about that yet, not when so many people around them were already drawing their own conclusions, but it felt like that might be significant.</p><p>There was a cursory knock on the door and Jisung stuck his head around it. "Hey Angelface." Seungmin wrinkled his nose at the horrible nickname but Jisung plowed on. "I'm fine with our apartment being a little angel meeting place but, like, what am I supposed to do with you guys? The new one is just staring at a white screen and I'm a little worried for him."</p><p>"That's Felix," Seungmin said, beckoning Jisung into the room so he wasn't hanging off the door. "He runs tech support- anytime a human in this district needs help online he handles it. His screen probably isn't white but it's just moving too fast for you to see."</p><p>"Right," Jisung said sceptically. "And Jeongin? Is he actually my angel now or did I miss something? Last night is all kinds of blurry but I apparently wrote four thousand words of my essay I don't remember writing."</p><p>"Minho helped you with that," Seungmin supplied. Chan's Suggestion must have lasted longer than they’d thought. </p><p>"Minho-hyung is <em>real?" </em>Jisung exclaimed loudly. Hyunjin grumbled in his sleep and turned to plant his face fully into the pillow. Seungmin started a mental timer so he could turn him back over before he ran out of oxygen if Hyunjin didn’t do it himself.</p><p>“Minho is far more real than I am,” Seungmin answered Jisung because he liked fucking with people and Jisung was a philosophy student so he should be used to it. </p><p>Jisung squinted at him. “How <em>do </em>I know you’re real?” he asked. It might have been rhetorical. </p><p>“I ate all your eggs?” Seungmin suggested. Jisung squinted harder at him and then left the room. Seungmin heard him banging around in the kitchen and then he returned.</p><p>“You did eat all our eggs,” Jisung agreed. “We had a lot of eggs.”</p><p>“I like eggs,” Seungmin said. He pushed Hyunjin’s shoulder hard so the boy fell onto his back and regained access to oxygen. Hyunjin slept on.</p><p>“I don’t know what to do,” Jisung said as they both watched Hyunjin. Seungmin looked at him properly. His intention <em>was</em> a very murky colour.</p><p>“Right now? Or in general?” Seungmin asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jisung said. That wasn’t good. Seungmin didn’t know how to help humans that weren’t Hyunjin but thankfully he didn’t have to. He called Jeongin through and gestured to Jisung, who was standing staring into space.</p><p>“Ok, so you need <em>water,”</em> Jeongin said condescendingly, steering Jisung out of the room. “And <em>food. </em>And someone who will understand all the weird shift going through your brain but we’re working on that.” His voice got quieter as they went to the kitchen and Seungmin turned his focus on Hyunjin. Hyunjin should really wake up soon. He slapped his cheek. Hyunjin kept sleeping.</p><p>“Hyunjin.” Seungmin said sternly. “Stop sleeping.” Hyunjin ignored him. It was a good sign really because Hyunjin usually slept through everything and Seungmin wasn’t sure how he would feel if Hyunjin had developed another Seungmin-related power in his sleep. “Hyunjin, I miss you,” Seungmin said, just to be sure. Hyunjin stayed asleep. Seungmin very carefully got out of the bed and looked down at Hyunjin. Hyunjin stayed asleep but he rolled over into the space Seungmin had left and lay face-down on the mattress where Seungmin’s butt had been. Seungmin restarted his mental timer. He prodded Hyunjin in the back. He had no wings and it made his muscles strange, but a nice kind of strange. He was very smooth, streamlined. If he were naked Seungmin could run a hand down the back of Hyunjin’s hair, down his neck, down his back and all the way to his feet in one smooth motion. Seungmin didn’t attempt anything like that but it surprised him that he thought it. </p><p>“Hyunjin,” he said again, more urgently. He didn’t trust his thoughts to stay on track if he touched Hyunjin’s back again. “Hyunjin, wake up. Please.”</p><p>“Stop panicking, he’s fine!” Jeongin called through loudly from the kitchen.</p><p>“I’m not panicking!” Seungmin yelled back but even he could tell his voice sounded like panic. It wasn’t the kind of panic Jeongin thought it was though and he <em>definitely</em> couldn’t tell him that. But maybe it was that kind of panic too because angels weren’t supposed to have those kinds of thoughts.</p><p>“Seungminnie?” Hyunjin groaned from the bed, twisting to squint up at him. “What’s happening?”</p><p>“I was just trying to wake you up,” Seungmin breathed out. He closed his eyes for a second and tried to push all the clamoring thoughts from his mind. He opened his eyes. Hyunjin was yawning, stretching out across the bed, with his blanket pooled at his waist. Seungmin closed his eyes and tried again.</p><p>“Are you praying?” Hyunjin asked. He’d sat up and rubbing blearily at his eyes </p><p>“I was mediating,” Seungmin replied. “Prayer never works.”</p><p>“Stop lying to him!” Jeongin said from the door. “I answer prayers all the time!” He turned to Hyunjin and beamed. “Good <em>morning</em>, Disaster Boy. Jisung is cooking some kind of food if you want some.”</p><p>“Seungminnie said nobody listened to prayers,” Hyunjin said, sounding hurt.</p><p>“Oh, like the nighttime ones? Nah, I can’t hear them. It’s the ‘Oh God please, this job interview is for the company I want to spend the rest of my life working for. <em>Please,</em> let the bus’s engine start working again,’ kind of stuff I answer. The desperation is key,” Jeongin said, tapping the side of his nose knowing. “And pure intentions, I guess, but I won’t notice unless you’re really desperate.”</p><p>Hyunjin nodded seriously. “We should be grateful for what we have.”</p><p>“That’s not.. Yeah, sure,” Jeongin said, giving up on Hyunjin. “Do you have more mint ice cream?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin completely emptied his stock of mint chocolate ice cream for the angels while he and Jisung had proper food for breakfast.</p><p>“I love it!” Felix declared, before choking and descending into a coughing fit. Hyunjin reached over and patted him hard on the back between the wings and Felix stopped coughing. “What happened?” he asked, wide-eyed.</p><p>“Your throat has two passages,” Jisung explained, pushing food into his cheeks to speak. “It opens one way to breathe and speak and the other way to swallow. Don’t try to do both at once or you breathe food.”</p><p>Felix nodded seriously, staring his ice cream down with a new intensity. </p><p>“You gotta eat it fast, Lixie,” Seungmin. He was already an expert at mint chocolate ice cream and knew that the integrity of it quickly declined once taken out of the freezer. “See, it’s melting,” he pointed out.</p><p>“Not on the couch,” Hyunjin whined and thrust an empty bowl under Felix’s ice cream as it sloughed off the stick.</p><p>"Oh," Felix said, looking down at his bowl of ice cream. "Sorry."</p><p>"It's fine," Hyunjin assured him. "Seungminnie was way worse than you with food."</p><p>"Hey!" Seungmin said, offended.</p><p>"It's true, Angel, and you know it," Hyunjin said and pinched Seungmin's cheek.</p><p>"You gave me pizza first!" Seungmin protested. "Pizza is difficult!"</p><p>"Pizza is difficult," Hyunjin agreed gamely. He stood to collect the empty dishes and took the bowl of ice cream off of Felix. "Don't eat that now," he said. "The bowl had other stuff in it before. It's bad."</p><p>Felix went back to his phone now more of the humans were awake and Jisung stretched out on the other couch once Hyunjin took his dishes. </p><p>"So," Jisung said. "What's the plan for today?" He didn't look like he planned on doing anything strenuous. </p><p>Jeongin shrugged. "I have to follow you, Seungminnie has to follow Hyunjin, Felix has to play Fortnite."</p><p>"I think Felix has the best deal," Jisung noted. Felix didn't even look up, typing furiously.</p><p>"Nah. He never gets a chance to chat to us," Jeongin said. He patted down Felix's hair fondly and Felix hummed happily until his screen flickered.</p><p>"I'm gonna have to go back to the PC bang," he said grumpily. "Weekends are the worst." </p><p>"Come back tonight," Seungmin offered, knowing Jisung wouldn't really mind even if he complained.</p><p>"On Saturday night?" Felix laughed in self-depreciation. "Mate, I'm not getting a break until Monday morning. I'll fly by then though. Message if you have problems with Cuddlebug again." And with that he phased and flew out the window, leaving Seungmin blushing furiously.</p><p>"Oh?" Jeongin asked with a grin. "What disaster did you need Lixie for?"</p><p>"Nothing," Seungmin mumbled.</p><p>"You know I'll just ask him," Jeongin pressured him.</p><p>Seungmin glanced across to Jisung who was looking on intently. He wasn't going to get out of this. "Hyunjin got mad at me because I let Jisung punch him in the face," he admitted quietly.</p><p>Jisung brought his legs up as he tipped back on the couch and cackled with laughter. “Seungminnie, I love you!” he wheezed through his laughter. Seungmin thought that was going a bit far. It wasn’t like he’d sided with Jisung in their argument. He’d just been fed up of them being dumb teenage boys and hurting each other emotionally while they fronted to protect their insecurities. With one half-assed punch from Jisung their walls had cracked and they finally realised they had a lot in common. It gave Seungmin a lot less grief too when Hyunjin was finally happier again.</p><p>“What happened?” Hyunjin asked with a pout, poking his head through the doorway. “Where’s Felix?”</p><p>“Felix went back to work,” Seungmin said quickly, hoping to divert the conversation. He had no such luck.</p><p>“Your Guardian Angel let me punch you in the FACE!” Jisung exclaimed, still laughing. “Oooooooh, this is too good.”</p><p>Hyunjin frowned. “I’m still mad about that.”</p><p>Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Please. You completely forgot about it.”</p><p>“And now I’ve been reminded, I’m mad about it again.”</p><p>“Hyunjin.” Seungmin’s tone rivaled that of an unamused mother with a shoe readied.</p><p>“Seungmin,” Hyunjin replied in the same fashion.</p><p>“<em>Hyunjin</em>.”</p><p>“Jisung!” Jisung interrupted them, loudly. Seungmin turned to look at him with exasperation. <em>Wasn’t Jeongin supposed to be dealing with him?</em> Jisung smiled winningly at them.”I thought we were just shouting names and I felt left out.” There was no way Jisung was that dense. He’d definitely been fully aware of what he was doing.</p><p>“Why did I befriend you?” Hyunjin said with fake disgust.</p><p>“You ran out of options?” Jisung suggested cheekily.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You don't have to stay inside for me," Seungmin said, feeling guilty. Hyunjin had just turned down a suggestion to meet up from one of his classmates.</p>
<p>"It's the least I can do," Hyunjin replied, throwing his phone onto his bed. "And staying in and watching tv isn't exactly a chore."</p>
<p>"But still-" Seungmin started but he was cut off by Jeongin sticking his head around the door.</p>
<p>"Jisung is going into campus. Do I follow him or stay here?" He was desperate to go, Seungmin could see that. Jeongin had never spent so long in one place before and now the novelty was wearing off he was antsy.</p>
<p>"Follow Sung," Hyunjin answered before Seungmin could. "I'm staying home with Minnie so I think he'll be ok."</p>
<p>Jeongin turned to Seungmin for confirmation but excitement was already shining in his eyes. Who could say no to that? "Stay invisible," Seungmin warned him. "You're not correcting any particular event so do nothing unless it's an emergency. <em>No Suggestion." </em>Jisung had probably had more rounds of angelic Suggestion in the last twenty-four hours than most people got in a lifetime- the hazards of living near Hwang Hyunjin.</p>
<p>"But-"</p>
<p>"None, Innie," Seungmin said firmly. "Unless you're doing the Changbin thing today you should be doing nothing."</p>
<p>"Fine," Jeongin sighed. "I'll just follow him. See you later."</p>
<p>"Bye, Innie!" Hyunjin called cheerfully as Jeongin left, no doubt just to wind him up.</p>
<p>"Wasn't talking to you, Disaster Boy!" Jeongin called back crossly.</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>A few minutes later Jisung swung by Hyunjin's room to say his own goodbyes and then the front door slammed and they were alone.</p>
<p>"Wooo!" Hyunjin cheered, falling back to stretch across his bed. "Empty apartment!"</p>
<p>Seungmin smiled at his silliness. Hyunjin and Jisung got on really well and Jisung spent most of his time in his room. An empty apartment wasn't much different from Jisung being there and now Hyunjin had Seungmin hanging around to ruin his isolation.</p>
<p>"What do you normally do when you get the apartment to yourself?" Seungmin asked.</p>
<p>Hyunjin blushed. "Nothing.” He said it a little too quickly and there was a moment of awkward silence before Hyunjin spoke again. “You stay on the roof normally, right? When I'm in my room."</p>
<p>Seungmin eyed him closely. "Yes," he answered. He gave Hyunjin as much privacy as a living disaster could afford. "Why?"</p>
<p>"Nothing," Hyunjin said again, sitting up and scooting the edge of the bed. "It's nothing."</p>
<p>"Hyunjin, what do you do?" Seungmin asked seriously. Should Seungmin have been paying more attention? He really was a terrible Guardian Angel.</p>
<p>"Nothing!" Hyunjin repeated, getting flustered now. "It's fine. Nothing bad. Well- I mean, it's-"</p>
<p>"Hyunjin," Seungmin pressed him.</p>
<p>"I masterbate!" Hyunjin yelped and then made a choking noise and covered his mouth with his hands. </p>
<p>Seungmin tried very hard not to imagine it. An angel shouldn’t, and as Hyunjin’s personal Guardian he <em>definitely</em> shouldn’t. </p>
<p>"That's ok," he told Hyunjin with a forced laugh, pulling Hyunjin's hands off his face. "I can go to the roof if you want to…" Hyunjin was human. Only human, blessedly human. He could do whatever he wanted to.</p>
<p>"No!" Hyunjin exclaimed. "God, no. I can't- Please forget this entire conversation," he begged, his face scarlet red now.</p>
<p>“Why are you acting like this is embarrassing?” Seungmin asked, holding Hyunjin’s hands tightly to stop him covering his face again. “It’s natural to want that pleasure and you’ve done a million things much more worthy of being embarrassed about.”</p>
<p>Hyunjin groaned as if Seungmin’s words were physical torture. “Forget them too! Forget all of this!”</p>
<p>“Can’t,” Seungmin said with a smile. And why would he want to forget Hyunjin anyway? He let go of Hyunjin’s hands and backed away to the middle of the room. “I’m just going to go to the roof for half an hour for unrelated reasons. See you soon.” He went intangible and invisible as quickly as he could but who knew if that was enough to stop Hyunjin anymore. Flying out of the room was his only means of escape left and even with that Hyunjin nearly caught his leg on the way past.</p>
<p>“<em>Seungmin!”</em> Hyunjin called after him, even more mortified than before. Seungmin was enjoying this. Who knew that being a Guardian Angel could feel so light?</p>
<p>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>“You’re evil,” Hyunjin greeted him when Seungmin floated back down to his room and came in through the window.</p>
<p>“Did you have fun?” Seungmin asked. He’d given Hyunjin real privacy so he had no idea what Hyunjin had done while he stared across the skyline but Hyunjin’s hair was wet so he’d at least had a shower.</p>
<p>“You’re evil,” Hyunjin repeated. </p>
<p>“Ah, so you <em>did</em> have fun,” Seungmin said, sitting down in Hyunjin’s desk chair and twirling it around with his wings half-open behind him. Seungmin’s stomach was behaving weirdly again but he had a feeling it wasn’t from the ice cream this time. It was like an endless freefall but he was sitting down and every time he teased Hyunjin the feeling grew stronger. 

Seungmin had the fleeting thought to ask Hyunjin what <em>it</em> had been like, memories of Hyunjin teaching him other human things tugging emotions he couldn’t name to the surface, but he pushed the thought away. “I can go back to the roof if you nee-”</p>
<p>“<em>Stop,”</em> Hyunjin cut him off. “I already feel dirty. I’m going to become a monk or something. Interior design the shit out of a cave in the mountains and meditate under a waterfall every day.”</p>
<p>“Sounds hazardous,” Seungmin said. “Also, not very Christian.”</p>
<p>“Would you leave if I became a buddist?” Hyunjin asked.</p>
<p>Seungmin shook his head. “We help everyone. When you were in the U.S I saw some other deities around sometimes too, doing their own thing. Here it’s mostly angels. I’d still be your angel if you became a Buddist, or an atheist. I recommend atheism.”
</p>
<p>“Seungminnie, you are an <em>angel</em>. How can I not believe in a higher power when you’re right here, performing miracles?”</p>
<p>Seungmin shrugged. “Until now I’ve worked round-the-clock under pretty stressful conditions. Does that sound like heaven or does it sound like capitalism?”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” Hyunjin said automatically and Seungmin waved him off.</p>
<p>“Not your fault. I blame Management.”</p>
<p>“<em>God?” </em> Hyunijn asked, horrified at the idea of blaming God for anything.</p>
<p>“Nah, God is, like, the CEO. Doesn’t do much, still gets all the credit. I’m talking Management. I don’t even know who that is. Gabriel? Michael? Ahmed? Minho was right- I <em>should</em> start a union.”</p>
<p>“Last time that was suggested you had a panic attack,” Hyunjin reminded him carefully. “I’m not sure thinking about this is good for you.”</p>
<p>“I guess,” Seungmin sighed. Hyunjin was right- he should stop thinking so much about why he was doing his job and just <em>do it</em>. He’d just never had someone questioning it before and Hyunjin had accidentally found a lot of flaws in the system.</p>
<p>Hyunjin patted the bed beside him. “Come on. We’re supposed to be watching trash tv.”</p>
<p>“Jeongin didn’t like <em>Sky Castle</em>,” Seungmin said, throwing his friend under the bus as he crawled over to Hyunjin. “He said the characters had too many stupid problems.”</p>
<p>“I suppose they do,” Hyunjin allowed. He then made a strangled noise as Seungmin sat next to him.</p>
<p>“What?” Seungmin asked quickly. Had he sat to close?</p>
<p>“You’re <em>wings,”</em> Hyunjin said brokenly, reaching out. “You’re sitting on them.”</p>
<p>
Yeah, it’s ok,” Seungmin replied, self-consciously shifting to smooth his abused feathers down. “Doesn’t hurt.”</p>
<p>Hyunjin gently took the wing closed to him in both hands and Seungmin let him open it slightly to examine the damage. The primaries at his wingtips- the feathers that extended his wingspan- were all cracked from being sat on.</p>
<p>“Angel,” Hyunjin said with a sigh, running his fingers over the injuries. “You’ve got to look after yourself. How long until this heals?”</p>
<p>Seungmin shrugged. It wasn’t an injury he’d sustained before. “A day? Two?” He reached for the wing in Hyunjin’s hand and pulled a damaged feather free with a sharp tug. Hyunjin gasped. “It was broken,” Seungmin reminded him. “A new one will grow.”</p>
<p>Hyunjin covered Seungmin’s wing with his hands protectively. “Don’t pull any more out.”</p>
<p>“Ok,” Seungmin agreed. Most of them would still function alright as they were anyway and it would be better than losing half his wing surface all at once. “Do you want this one?” he held out the plucked feather. The barbules that should hold all the barbs together to create interlocked sheets were worn down so the feather wasn’t as sleek it should be for a primary and the quill had a crack in it. It was ugly.</p>
<p>Hyunjin took it eagerly and held it gingerly by the quill as he tried to brush the barbs back together. “It’s so pretty.”</p>
<p>“It won’t go back together,” Seungmin said as Hyunjin licked his thumb and tried to smooth the barbs back into position. “Honestly, I should just get rid of it. A two foot long white feather in central Seoul is pretty suspicious.”</p>
<p>“No!” Hyunjin exclaimed, holding the feather protectively to his chest. “I can say I found it abroad on something.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Seungmin said with a sigh. What was one more broken rule at this stage.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this is the last pre-written chapter so updates will be slower now BUT this is your opprtunity to influence the story. if you have theories or a pairing youre rooting for or something comment and it might make it into the plot you never know</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Don’t fall asleep on me,” Hyunjin joked lightly as Seungmin’s eyes stayed closed a little too long.</p><p>“I don’t sleep,” Seungmin reminded him. However, if he <em>was</em> to fall asleep it would be now. </p><p>He was lying face-down on Hyunjin’s bed (without back pain this time thankfully) and all his muscles were relaxed for perhaps the first time ever as Hyunjin knelt beside him and groomed his feathers. Hyunjin had insisted on it after seeing the damage to his primaries and Seungmin had shown him how to pull the barbs back together with his fingers and re-layer his feathers so they were in the right position for flight. Hyunjin had done some internet sleuthing too and had a picture of an eagle wing up on his laptop on the pillow next to Seungmin’s head. His wings were <em>nothing</em> like eagle wings and he’d said as much but the labels were enough to stop Hyunjin messing up too much.</p><p>“Hmm, looked like you were about to fall asleep,” Hyunjin said, slightly distracted by his work. “You can, you know. Even if you don’t actually <em>sleep</em> you can get some rest. I’ve still got a whole wing to do and I’ve only done a bit of this one. You’ve got a lot of feathers, did you know?”</p><p>“I was aware,” Seungmin snorted. “Just make a claw with your hand and rake through the down feathers when you get to them. They’re not supposed to lie flat and I’ll need to puff them up to sort them.”</p><p>Hyunjin gasped quietly. “I want to see that. You’ll be so fluffy.”</p><p>“Mmm,” Seungmin agreed reluctantly. “I can do all of the remaining feathers if you get bored. It’ll take you a while.”</p><p>“I can do it,” Hyunjin said haughtily. “Do you not trust me?”</p><p>Seungmin lifted his wing out of Hyunjin’s hands and used it to swipe at the boy, giving him a face full of feathers. What a stupid question. Of course he trusted Hyunjin.</p><p>Hyunjin spluttered and pushed his wing away. “Angel!” he exclaimed in protest.</p><p>“Yes?” Seungmin answered innocently, folding his wing back into Hyunjin’s lap.</p><p>“You are a menace.”</p><p>“So are you,” Seungmin retorted.</p><p>“No,” Hyunjin argued. “I’m a <em>disaster.</em> There’s a difference.”</p><p>“You’re not wrong,” Seungmin sighed. He got comfortable as Hyunjin’s fingers threaded through his feathers again. “I should ban you from going outside.”</p><p>“Bold of you to think I can’t cause disasters inside.”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>***</p><p>Hyunjin giggled behind him. “Do you like the song, Seungminnie?” he teased. Seungmin hadn’t realised he’d been moving to the beat but now it was called to his attention he realised he’d stopped Hyunjin’s work with his movements. </p><p>“Sorry.” He forced himself to lie still.</p><p>“No no, it’s ok,” Hyunjin assured him. He reached forward and turned up the volume on his laptop. “Do your little butt wiggles. It’s cute.”</p><p>Well, Seungmin was <em>definitely</em> not going to move to the song now. Hyunjin wasn’t happy with that though and pinched Seungmin’s side. It gave Seungmin a fright and he jumped a little, his feathers fluffing up. Hyunjin gasped in delight and Seungmin’s face heated up with embarrassment. What a way to look like an idiot- puffing up like a garden bird in the cold. He sat up on his heels and shook his feathers back down again, sending Hyunjin his best glower.</p><p>“Oooh, big scary fluffball,” Hyunjin cooed, reaching out to poke Seungmin’s cheek where he was no doubt blushing. Seungmin had to fight a smile as Hyunjin beamed at him. “Are you going to boogie for me or let me finish your feathers?”</p><p>Seungmin glared at him again and lay back down. Dancing would only make him look like a greater fool and that was supposed to be Hyunjin’s prerogative. </p><p>“So. These slits in your hoodie that I can see now,” Hyunjin said as he smoothed Seungmin’s feathers down properly before continuing his work. His hands were much more sure than they had been a couple of hours ago and he was working his way up Seungmin’s second wing a lot faster. “Are they real? Because I don’t remember your hoodie having holes in it before.”</p><p>“Those were the days,” Seungmin said wistfully. It had only been yesterday but Seungmin missed when Hyunjin was just a regular blind bumbling human. Or more accurately, an irregular blind bumbling human. “I don’t know,” he answered. “I don’t even know if my hoodie is real anymore. Can you put your hand through it?” Seungmin waited with bated breath but when he felt the warm pressure of Hyunjin’s palm on his back it didn’t feel like it was against his skin. </p><p>“No,” Hyunjin reported. “Your hoodie appears to be solid. Apart from the slits for your wings.”</p><p>“Ok, great,” Seungmin said. “You’ve not developed any gifts I don’t already have yet- that’s comforting. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if you woke up tomorrow with wings of your own.” He could imagine it happening. Hyunjin would be impossibly disasterous with wings on his back.</p><p>Hyunjin laughed. “I’m not going to grow <em>wings.</em> I can just sense you better now when you’re hiding, that’s all. Maybe it was just a matter of knowing you’re there.”</p><p>“Don’t,” Seungmin said, stopping that line of thinking there. “If that’s true then Jisung is going to start gaining gifts while he’s out today. That’s going to be a nightmare with him and Innie together.” He shivered at the thought. Chan was going to have to call in a lot more angels if that was the case. “I’d rather it was just you that was weird.”</p><p>“Aw. Thanks, Angel,” Hyunjin said jokingly. “I try.” His hands moved closer to Seungmin’s back as he reached the last feathers. “Are you ok with me touching your back?” he asked.</p><p>“You’re already touching my wings,” Seungmin pointed out. “It’s fine.” Jeongin had done it plenty of times, Chan and Felix too. Really he should have just waited and gotten Jeongin to do all this. It would have taken a fraction of the time and would be done <em>right.</em> Hyunjin had already messed up a couple times and Seungmin would have to check his work over before he tried flying. Still, it had been nice. Relaxing. And maybe he could convince Hyunjin to make this a regular thing since it looked like he’d be sitting in a lot more chairs from now on.</p><p>Hyunjin took his hands out from inside the slits in Seungmin’s hoodie when he was done and reached up to ruffle Seungmin’s hair. “All done, Angel. What’s my score?”</p><p>Seungmin pulled his wings shut and opened them again a couple of times to test how they felt. They moved smoothly, far smoother than they did when he groomed them, but there were still a couple of niggling points. He sat up and reached his wings around himself to sort them with Hyunjin peering over his shoulder curiously.</p><p>“This one,” Seungmin explained, “on top of that one. It’s at the hinge- see.” He bent his wing to show how the feathers slid over each other. “You got it right on the other side. Overall… A minus. Pretty good for a first attempt.”</p><p>Hyunjin smiled proudly. “I’ll get it all right next time,” he vowed. “You have to stop breaking your feathers though. Promise.”</p><p>“I’m working on phasing them,” Seungmin said, avoiding the promise he wasn’t sure he could keep. Hyunjin frowned at him so he quickly continued, “but I will try to stop sitting on them in the meantime.”</p><p>“Will stop,” Hyunjin argued.</p><p>“Will try,” Seungmin countered. “My wings come down to my knees, Hyunjin. It’s not easy to put them somewhere else.”</p><p>“So you need a stool,” Hyunjin decided. He bounced off of the bed and held out a hand to Seungmin. “Come on. We’re going shopping.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hbd AO3 ilysm</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin linked their arms together once he’d shut the building door behind them and set off down the street.</p><p>“Where are we going?” Seungmin asked, content to let himself be pulled along as long as Hyunjin wasn’t in danger.</p><p>“Dunno!” Hyunjin said happily. “I go to Yang’s Antiques for inspiration sometimes and I’m sure there would be something <em>amazing</em> there but it’s not really in my price bracket.”</p><p>“Or I could just stay standing,” Seungmin suggested. He’d managed that pretty easily up until now.</p><p>“That’s not comfy,” Hyunjin said, screwing up his face in distaste. “I’m going to find you a comfy seat or I’m going to make one.”</p><p>“Make one?” Seungmin exclaimed. He hadn’t known that was an option. “Should I be trusting you with tools?”</p><p>“I’ve made a stool before!” Hyunjin protested. “Remember? That rainbow one in first year. It was solid.”</p><p>“It was a box,” Seungmin said. The stool in question had been a lesson in structure and building materials. Hyunjin had gone classic in his materials- wooden planks and nails -and his initial elegant design had needed so much reinforcement to withstand his weight that all individuality was lost in the final product. Hyunjin had then tried to compensate for a boring structure with a bright paint job but it still hadn’t received a good grade. He’d set fire to it (and the hoodie he’d been wearing at the time) in revenge.</p><p>“It worked,” Hyunjin argued. “And I’d do much better now. I know more about force angles and binding methods now. I’d make you a great stool.”</p><p>“And how many fingers would you lose in the process?” Seungmin joked.</p><p>“None!” Hyunjin said indignantly. “I have you.”</p><p>“And I’m telling you not to attempt to make a stool,” Seungmin said, patting Hyunjin’s hand as he laughed at his misfortune. “You’re good at a lot of things, Hyunjinnie, but woodwork is not one of them.”</p><p>Hyunjin huffed dramatically and looked away. “Maybe I just need practice and that comment has just shattered my future career in carpentry.” </p><p>“Perhaps,” Seungmin agreed as he steered Hyunjin away from an electrical box before he walked into it. “I’m sure you’ll find something else. Now, where are we actually going since I’ve just vetoed the hardware store and twelve different ways for you to end up in hospital.”</p><p>“You could always kiss me better instead of sending me to hospital,” Hyunjin muttered. He stopped them at a set of traffic lights and from the angle Hyunjin was standing at Seungmin could guess their destination. The subway. His second least favourite form of transport. Maybe it would be less detestable when he wasn’t trying to chase blindly after Hyunjin’s presence hurtling about under the city but somehow he doubted it. He’d never liked being underground.</p><p>“Do we have to?” he asked quietly.</p><p>“Hmm?” Hyunjin asked, completely oblivious. “Have to what?”</p><p>“The subway,” Seungmin said, holding Hyunjin’s arm a little tighter. “Can’t we walk?”</p><p>“That would take forever,” Hyunjin said. “It’ll just be about ten minutes on the subway.” He looked at Seungmin in concern. “Do you not like it?”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Seungmin said. Hyunjin took the subway by himself all the time and was completely fine. It would be fine. He would be fine.</p><p>“You sure?” Hyunjin asked. He slid his hand down Seungmin’s arm and interlocked their fingers. “I could call a taxi?”</p><p>“No, that’s stupid,” Seungmin said, pulling them across the road as the pedestrian light turned green. A taxi would cost far too much and take far too long to come. The subway was nothing to be afraid of. It was just a series of tiny metal boxes jammed full of humans speeding through narrow tunnels under the ground with very few exits. Nothing scary.</p><p>Hyunjin squeezed his hand as Seungmin’s confident strides faltered at the entrance to the tunnels. “I’ve got you, Angel,” he murmured. “Fifteen minutes max and we’ll be out in the air again.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” Seungmin blustered. The sooner this was over the better. “Just don’t wander off.”</p><p>Hyunjin gave him a knowing smile. “I won’t let go of your hand,” he said. And he didn’t. Not when he stopped to get Seungmin a paper ticket or when they rode the escalator down to the platform or when they waited for the train.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>The carriage was busy when it arrived to pick them up and they stood closer to the door as Seungmin couldn’t force himself to walk much further into the box.</p><p>“You’re doing good, Angel,” Hyunjin whispered, squeezing his hand. “Four more stops.”</p><p>Seungmin was not doing good. Seungmin wanted off, especially when at the next stop a wave of humans pushed into the carriage, packing it even tighter. They didn’t seem to mind being in each others’ space but Seungmin’s wings were getting elbowed and pushed at awkward angles and he hated it.</p><p>“Can you stand behind me,” he asked Hyunjin, desperately willing his charge to understand. </p><p>“Behind?” Hyunjin asked, looking over Seungmin’s shoulder at the mass of people. He’d taken the worse spot when more people had arrived and was jammed in against a plexiglass wall with no handrails, only his feet planted wide to stop him falling over. Still, his position was more isolated than Seungmin’s, even if it was uncomfortable.</p><p>“Or just-” Seungmin started, not knowing what he could suggest. He wanted to leave but it was so crowded and moving so fast there was nothing he could do. Thankfully Hyunjin seemed to realise what his problem was and opened his arms.</p><p>“Lean on me,” he offered and Seungmin wasted no time turning around and pressing his wings against Hyunjin. Hyunjin’s arms came to circle his waist and his chin found it’s familiar position on Seungmin’s shoulder. “Better?”</p><p>“Still horrible,” Seungmin said, closing his eyes to imagine himself anywhere but there, “but better. Thank you.”</p><p>“Any time,” Hyunjin replied softly. “Three stops and then I’ll buy you mint ice cream, ok?”</p><p>“Mmm,” Seungmin answered uneasily, clinging tight to Hyunjin’s hands as the train came to a jerky stop.</p><p>“Two more now,” Hyunjin said as the doors opened with a hiss and humans pushed their way in and out of the narrow opening. “You’re so brave.”</p><p>“If I die, don’t bury me,” Seungmin replied.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin wasn’t entirely sure how he got back to the surface. If he had to guess the answer was probably ‘clinging to Hyunjin’ but there had been so many people jammed together the whole time he couldn’t think straight. The subway had officially overtaken planes as his least favourite form of transport and he never wanted to even <em>see</em> one again. Thankfully, Hyunjin was of the same mindset.</p><p>“I’m not taking you on the subway ever again,” he said, hugging Seungmin tight. “Never ever. Why didn’t you tell me it was that bad for you? We could have taken a taxi. Or the bus.”</p><p>“Didn’t know,” Seungmin mumbled into Hyunjin’s chest. Hyunjin was warm and solid and safe and Seungmin needed his embrace for just a minute more before he faced the world again. Hyunjin ran one hand down his feathers and kissed the crown of his head, not caring who saw them standing right on the thoroughfare.</p><p>“How can I make you happy, Angel?” Hyunjin mumbled to himself as Seungmin’s heart rate finally returned to normal.</p><p><em>You’re already doing it,</em> Seungmin thought. He took one more breath, savouring the moment, and pushed back out of Hyunjin’s arms. “Ice cream,” he told him with a smile. “You promised ice cream.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>if you didn't know I have a twitter @Lossit_bay_skz and, among other things, updates are decided on there, often by a poll against my other active fics. If you want to know when a new chapter is coming or even ensure that it does- follow me on there.</p><p>otherwise- i hope youre enjoying this and ill be back with a new chapter soonish</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>im not very happy with this chapter but its the better option compared to the Angst of the alt version soo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin bought Seungmin ice cream and then went to the neighbouring shop to buy boba for himself. He smiled at the cashier as he was handed his drink and she tucked his hair behind her ear shyly, smiling back. Seungmin resisted the urge to check what her intention was. It was a normal reaction to have, to Hyunjin smiling. He took a tiny shovelful of his ice cream instead and let the bright taste of it clear his mind. This ice cream was better than the stuff Hyunjin had at home. He hadn’t wanted to stray from the comfort of the mint but still it was a new experience- brighter, stronger, smoother. Clearly he had a lot more to learn about humans if they could make the same food taste so different.</p><p>Hyunjin pulled Seungmin out of his contemplation by slinging an arm across Seungmin’s shoulders and guiding him out of the door.</p><p>“You wouldn’t like this,” he told Seungmin, holding up his drink. Seungmin already didn’t from the heart drawn above Hyunjin’s name on the side. Still, he humoured him.</p><p>“Why do you think I wouldn’t like it?” he asked.</p><p>Hyunjin shook his cup so the black dots in the bottle of the cup danced. “Pearls. You have to drink and eat at the same time.” He then put the straw to his lips and hollowed his cheeks as he sucked. Seungmin watched his throat bob once and then Hyunjin opened his mouth to show the black spheres glistening on his tongue. He closed his mouth again and grinned as he chewed. “It’s an advanced level of food.”</p><p>“Why?” Seungmin asked, puzzled as to the reason for mixing food and drink like that.</p><p>“Tastes good,” Hyunjin said, taking another sip. “And it’s fun.”</p><p>“Looks like a health hazard,” Seungmin commented. “Don’t drink it while you’re walking.”</p><p>“Yes sir,” Hyunjin said with a laugh. “Why don’t we go sit down in the park?”</p><p>“I thought I wasn’t allowed to sit?” Seungmin said pompously and Hyunjin groaned, pulling him towards the traffic lights to cross over the road to the grass.</p><p>“Well<em> I’m</em> going to sit down so you’ll let me drink my boba,” he said. “You can do cartwheels for all I care.”</p><p>“I don’t know how to,” Seungmin replied. He took another shovel of ice cream and let it melt on his tongue as he considered the wisdom of his next words. “I can do a loop-the-loop though.”</p><p>“I want to see,” Hyunjin said eagerly, pulling Seungmin closer into his side. “Minnie, you have to show me.”</p><p>Seungmin knew he shouldn’t have told Hyunjin that. He’d wanted Hyunjin to be impressed by him instead seeing him as a simple idiot that couldn’t ride the subway or drink boba but party tricks weren’t the answer to that. It just further proved that Seungmin was an angel, there too watch over human life, not to participate in it.</p><p>"No. I won't show you."</p><p>“Minnie, please.”</p><p>“No.” The pedestrian light turned green and Seungmin stepped out from under Hyunjin’s arm. </p><p>“Angel,” Hyunjin said, skipping to catch up to him. He hooked his pinkie around Seungmin’s halfway across the road and waited until they were in the park before he said anything else. “Why are you in a bad mood all of a sudden?”</p><p>“I’m not,” Seungmin snapped.That sounded bad, even to him. He  stopped, took a calming breath and tried again. “Sorry. I need to be protecting you, not having fun.” He pulled Hyunjin’s hand up to chest-height by his pinkie and handed him the tub of ice cream. “You have it. I need to do my job.”</p><p>“You can eat ice cream and protect me at the same time,” Hyunjin said in bafflement, holding the tub out to Seungmin.</p><p>“It’s not about the ice cream, Hyunjin,” Seungmin sighed. “I’m distracted from my job by you and you’re distracted from your life by me. What are you even doing today? Would you have done any of this if I hadn’t been here?”</p><p>“No, but-” Hyunjin protested. “I’m <em>happy.</em> I <em>like</em> spending time with you, talking to you. You're my friend."</p><p>"I'm not," Seungmin said, ignoring the way the words warmed his heart. "I'm your angel. We need to remember that.” Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he grabbed the front of Hyunjin’s hoodie to drag him forward just as a young child on a wildly out-of-control bike sped past. “See. I need to be paying attention.”</p><p>“It wouldn’t have hurt,” Hyunjin said, turning to watch the child’s father sprint past after them and scoop the child up just before the bike crashed. He held out Seungmin’s ice cream to him as he let go of his hoodie again and Seungmin took it absent-mindedly before thrusting it back into his hand with a cry of frustration.</p><p>“No. Hyunjin, I’m trying to set boundaries!”</p><p>“And I’m trying to unset them,” Hyunjin replied, handing the tub back. “Eat the ice cream, Seungminnie. Ice cream makes things better. Trust me.” He took a sip of his boba and stared Seungmin down as he chewed. He was standing in the middle of the path deliberately, not even feinting to look out for bikes or runners or anything, and he was drinking his boba too. He truly was the worst charge.</p><p>“Get off the path.”</p><p>“Eat your ice cream.”</p><p>“Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Seungmin.” </p><p>A boy on roller skates passed so close behind Hyunjin that his hair was ruffled by the breeze and Seungmin could see a whole fleet of road bikes approaching next. “Ok, <em>fine.</em> Just get off the road first.”</p><p>Hyunjin grinned and stepped onto the grass. “That wasn’t so hard,” he said cheerfully, dropping his arm across Seungmin’s shoulders. </p><p>“You held yourself at ransom!” Seungmin exclaimed. “Over ice cream!”</p><p>“I stood in the bike lane,” Hyunjin said calmly, “where everybody approaching could see me. And it’s not about the ice cream. It’s about you allowing yourself to want things. You want to eat the ice cream- I know you enjoyed it -and you want to be here with me too.”</p><p>“I also want to stay as your guardian angel which won’t happen if I’m too busy eating ice cream to look after you!” Seungmin argued. Being a guardian angel was a privilege and one that would get taken away from him if he didn’t take it seriously.</p><p>“Eat your ice cream, Minnie,” Hyunjin said, putting his palm under Seungmin’s hand with the tub and raising it up to shoulder height. “We made a deal.” </p><p>Seungmin was fuming but they had made a deal so he put some of the half melted ice cream in his mouth.</p><p>“Is it good?” Hyunjin asked teasingly, pressing his cold nose against Seungmin’s cheek to stare at him.</p><p>“It’s the best ice cream I’ve ever had,” Seungmin grumbled and jabbed at Hyunjin’s face with the tiny shovel. “Stop gloating and finish you boba. This is the last distraction that’s happening.”</p><p>“Not on my watch!” Hyunjin laughed, pulling back again. “I’m going to find distractions from distraction. And distractions from distraction from distractions!”</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hyunjin..” Seungmin said quietly as Hyunjin pulled him towards the busy commercial street. When Hyunjin had started to lead them through the park with cheerful determination he’d gone along with it because there weren’t many humans and the danger was minimal. The street in front of them, however, sent his heart racing, and not in a good way.</p><p>“Angel?” Hyunjin turned to ask as Seungmin’s feet dragged. “Is it the crowds? I’ll hold your hand,” he offered.</p><p>“I-” Seungmin trailed off as he came to a stop. Hyunjin holding his hand would be good for <em>him, </em>but not for Hyunjin. He couldn’t focus with Hyunjin’s thumb massaging his knuckles and their hands swinging between them and that kind of thing was great when he was trying to ignore being trapped underground in a speeding box packed with humans but when Hyunjin was on the move he couldn’t afford to be selfish. “I’ll fly over you,” he decided, pulling his hand out of Hyunjin’s and taking a step back. “Ignore me. Forget I’m here.”</p><p>The path they were on was empty and they were hidden from view by bushes on either side so Seungmin took the opportunity to go invisible. Now Hyunjin couldn’t talk him out of his decision. He still tried though.</p><p>“Seungminnie-”</p><p>“I’m invisible,” Seungmin interrupted him. “You can’t talk to me.” He took another step back as Hyunjin reached out to grab his hand.</p><p>“I can still see you,” Hyunjin said, lunging for him suddenly. Seungmin was too quick for him though. “Minnie, stay <em>still.</em> Let me talk to you.”</p><p>“No. Go do your human things and I’ll watch you like I’m supposed to.”</p><p>Hyunjin opened his mouth to argue further but a swarm of children rounded the corner at a sprint, closely followed by their mothers pushing buggies and Hyunjin was forced to stand to the side and stay quiet. Before they were gone a runner came from the other direction and slowed to a stop just before the street to catch his breath and then a couple of giggling girls followed, more interested in each other than their destination. Hyunjin could only watch helplessly as Seungmin took to the sky. </p><p>*** </p><p>Seungmin didn’t go far. It was much harder to stay aloft with broken wingtips and he still couldn’t bear being out of close range so while Hyunjin stood in the park he perched on the wall separating it from the main street. Hyunjin looked up at him and glared. Seungmin stuck out his tongue. Teasing Hyunjin was always fun and he felt less guilty doing it from this height. It felt more like it did before the car accident when he sat on rooftops and badmouthed all Hyunjin’s bad decisions. And, speaking of bad decisions, Hyunjin had just turned and walked in the <em>wrong direction</em>, back into the park.</p><p>“Where are you going?” Seungmin asked him, swooping down to walk along the grass beside him. Hyunjin stared ahead and put his earphones in. “Hyunjin!” Seungmin called. “You were going shopping.”</p><p>Hyunjin took out his phone to play some music and Seungmin had to pull him a step to the left before he tripped over a dog. Still, Hyunjin ignored him. He walked through the park and back down the street where they’d gotten Seungmin ice cream and his boba, and took the turn towards the subway before spinning and going back the way he came. Seungmin had had to switch to rooftops by that point but he whispered a quiet ‘thanks’ in Hyunjin’s direction. He wanted nothing to do with the subway for a long time.</p><p>Hyunjin stopped at the bus stop and sucked aggressively on his boba until it was empty. Seungmin touched down on the darkened roof of the bus shelter and Hyunjin glanced up at him for a second before looking away and shoving the empty cup into a bin. The plastic cracked and sliced shallowly into his hand and Seungmin saw Hyunjin’s eyes screw up with pain and surprise. The cut was bleeding slightly but Hyunjin just ignored it and stretched his uninjured hand across his body to his opposite pocket, taking out his travel card ready for the bus pulling up to the stop. Seungmin hopped across to the roof as Hyunjin boarded and took to his wings when the bus started moving, relishing in the effort it took to keep up with the vehicle. He’d spent too long idle, too long lying in Hyunjin’s bed.</p><p>***</p><p>After a while Hyunjin got off, eyes staring down at his phone, and walked half a block to reach a different bus service. This route (which Seungmin now presumed led back home) was much slower than the direct subway line and Seungmin felt the guilt rise in his throat that Hyunjin was going this way for him. He landed on the roof of the bus shelter again but this time Hyunjin didn’t look up.</p><p>The second bus took ten minutes to arrive and Hyunjin took a seat near the back with a spare seat next to him that Seungmin could have been in if he were better at his job. He flew above the bus again instead, standing on the roof when the traffic was slow and looking out for reckless drivers. They’d re-entered Chan’s district of care so it was unlikely but Jeongin was off duty thanks to him and that left Chan with an awful lot of ground to cover. The traffic ahead started to move and Seungmin bent his knees to take off again when the back of his neck prickled with fear. <em>Hyunjin.</em></p><p>“You need to move,” he told Hyunjin firmly, dropping through the roof into the seat next to him.</p><p>“I’m ignoring you,” Hyunjin replied, looking out the window.</p><p>“Hyunjin, seriously,” Seungmin pleaded. “As your angel- you <em>need</em> to move. Stand up and go to the front of the bus.”</p><p>Hyunjin finally looked at him. “Really?”</p><p>Seungmin didn’t answer and took Hyunjin’s hand, hauling him from his seat. Hyunjin stumbled after him and once they were halfway down the aisle the prickling stopped and Seungmin let him go. </p><p>“You can sit,” he offered but Hyunjin stayed standing, reaching above them for one of the overhead handles. No sooner had he done so and the bus jerked to a sudden stop, jolting it’s passengers forward. Seungmin stumbled slightly but grabbed onto the backrest of the seat beside him and stayed standing. Behind them there were a series of heavy thuds and a curse. The lady who had been seated on the elevated rear seats behind where Hyunjin had been had lost her grip on her laden shopping bags and cans of food had flown forward with the sudden breaking and were rolling about the floor.</p><p>“That would have hit me,” Hyunjin wondered aloud, watching the lady scramble until his seat for her shopping. “Did you know that was going to happen?”</p><p>“Not exactly,” Seungmin said. “I knew that seat was dangerous. I didn't know how dangerous or why."</p><p>"Thank you," Hyunjin said as they watched other passengers bend down to help the lady. </p><p>"No problem," Seungmin replied, ignoring the pounding of his heart. "Just doing my job." He bent his knees to take off again and Hyunjin grabbed his arm.</p><p>"Stay. I'll not talk to you. Just stand next to me."</p><p>“And have you look like a crazy person holding onto thin air?” Seungmin asked, pointedly looking at Hyunjin’s hand on his arm. Hyunjin let go reluctantly. “Sit down,” Seungmin told him and waited for Hyunjin to comply before giving his next instruction. “Watch where you’re walking when you get off the bus. I’ll come back if you’re in danger.” And with that he took off, taking a few strained sweeps of his wings to get above the bus before he touched down on the roof again. This distance was good. Just far enough that he could get to Hyunjin quickly, but not so close that he couldn’t look away.</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin knew Hyunjin was upset with him, even without what Felix called their angelic 'Vibe Check'. He could tell from the way Hyunjin walked and the way he held his shoulders and the way he breathed and so he fully expected tearful yelling when they reached home. He just hadn't expected it from Jeongin.</p><p>When Seungmin landed in the living room Jeongin hit his shoulder so hard that he stumbled straight through the wall into Hyunjin's room. </p><p>"What the <em>duck, </em>Seungmin," Jeongin growled wetly as Seungmin stepped back into the living room. It was rare to see Jeongin angry and even rarer to see him crying from something that wasn't a collision with a wall. "You said you would stay here," he accused. "I only left with Jisung because you were staying here and then you go and leave the<em> district</em>! Chan said you were having another panic attack and you <em>disappeared."</em></p><p>
  <em>The subway. Oh god.</em>
</p><p>"I'm <em>so</em> sorry," Seungmin said quickly, pulling Jeongin into a hug. Jeongin hugged him back, shaking in his arms, which only confirmed how much Seungmin had fucked up. "I'm really sorry. We went to the shopping district further into the city and I went on the subway- that's why I panicked- but it's ok. I'm fine. And I'm really really sorry."</p><p>"I hate you," Jeongin sniffed into his shoulder and hugged him tighter. “Don’t ever go other places again.”</p><p>“You know that’s not up to me,” Seungmin said gently, swaying them from side to side. “But I’ll try to have all my future panic attacks somewhere you can come and rescue me.”</p><p>“You better,” Jeongin grumbled. “God knows Hyunjin can’t do shift.”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>The front door slammed and Seungmin looked up to Hyunjin’s steely glare. “Want to say that to my face, Jeongin?” he said icily. </p><p>Jeongin pulled away from Seungmin’s embrace and stepped towards Hyunjin, his wings flaring out behind him. “Yeah. Yeah, I do,” he answered determinedly. “<em>You</em> said you were staying here. I <em>trusted</em> you to keep him safe."</p><p>"Innie." Seungmin grabbed Jeongin’s wrist to hold him back. He wasn't sure what Jeongin intended to do but whatever it was Hyunjin didn't deserve it. "It's my fault, Innie. I chose to go on the subway. Hyunjin offered to take a taxi."</p><p>Jeongin wasn’t done with Hyunjin though. He shook Seungmin off and backed Hyunjin up against the door. “You are so lucky I’m an angel,” Jeongin threatened him. “One day. Seungmin has been looking after you for fifteen years and you had to return the favour for <em>one day</em>. And you took him <em>underground?</em> I ought to give you nightmares.”</p><p>“Jeongin!” Seungmin exclaimed, hauling his friend back. “Hyunjin did nothing wrong. He didn’t know.”</p><p>“I don’t <em>know</em> because you don’t <em>tell me,”</em> Hyunjin shot back, regaining his confidence now Jeongin wasn’t crowding him. “I ask if you’re ok with the subway and you say you are and then you’re not. You say you want ice cream and then you don’t. You’re fine going into town and then you take to the skies. You tell me to ignore you and live my normal life and then you <em>can’t handle it.</em> What do you want me to do? Huh? You’re in pain no matter what I do- how am I supposed to fix that if you don’t tell me?”</p><p>“You make a good point, Disaster Boy,” Jeongin admitted grudgingly. “Sounds kind of familiar, actually,” he said, turning to Seungmin knowingly.</p><p>
  <em>Great. Now they were ganging up on him.</em>
</p><p><br/>
</p><p>“Umm,” a voice piped up from one side. Jisung. Seungmin had entirely forgotten he even existed. “Hi!” Jisung said nervously. “Not to interrupt or anything, but, while I presume he’s here from all the shouting, I can’t actually see or hear Seungmin and it’s getting really trippy.” At least that meant Jisung hadn’t gained the same abilities as Hyunjin. </p><p>Seungmin became visible and Jisung flinched. “Hi,” Seungmin said tiredly. “Sorry for all the drama. I’m being bad at my job again.”</p><p>“Hyunjinnie seems fine to me,” Jisung offered positively. He was a sweet kid. Seungmin could almost forgive him for making his life more difficult.</p><p>“He’s bleeding,” Seungmin admitted, pointing to Hyunjin’s hand.</p><p>Hyunjin looked down at his hand in surprise as if he’d been completely unaware of the injury. The bleeding had stopped but the cut was still inflamed and open to infection. Seungmin beckoned him over.</p><p>“I can just put a plaster…” Hyunjin said, trailing off as Seungmin took his hand and brought it to his lips. “Or that,” he said in a daze. “You’ve got blood..” He pointed to his own mouth and Seungmin quickly swiped across his lips with the cuff of his hoodie.</p><p>“What the fuck,” Jisung commented. “Did he just drink your blood?” he asked Hyunjin.</p><p>“Nah.” Hyunjin held up his hand. “Kissed it better.”</p><p>“That’s a <em>thing!?” </em>Jisung asked excitedly. “Duuude. Do me!”</p><p>“Are you injured?” Seungmin asked dryly. </p><p>Jisung slammed his arm down on the table with impressive force and then curled over with his mouth open in a silent scream. That would do it.</p><p>“Unbelievable.” Jeongin sighed. “Every time I think human stupidity can’t be topped they do it again. We should leave him like that.”</p><p>“I’m not leaving him like that,” Seungmin said. He crossed the room and coaxed Jisung into  straightening his arm. There was already a bruise forming along the edge of a bone in his forearm. “You’re lucky you didn’t break it,” Seungmin told him and gently pressed his lips in a pout on Jisung’s skin. “It’s not magic so it might take a little while if you hurt it really bad.”</p><p>Jisung hesitantly opened his eyes and uncurled enough to hesitantly poke at his arm. “I love you,” he told Seungmin sincerely once he’d determined himself healed. “Please fix all my injuries forever and ever.”</p><p>“Are you going to live with Hyunjin forever and ever?” Seungmin asked. It was rhetorical. The boys had two and a half more years of university where they might stick together but then they would get jobs and move away and presumably at some point Hyunjin would perform some truely incredible world-changing feat that warranted Seungmin watching over him all this time.</p><p>“Yes,” Jisung answered determinedly. He turned and pointed at Hyunjin. “Yes,” he repeated, nodding to get Hyunjin to mimic him and agree. “I’m not passing up free angel magic. Plus- <em>plus-,” </em>he added, very excitedly, “if Hyunjin lives with anybody else it’ll be another human learning about angels. So you need me. You<em> need me.”</em></p><p>“I could live alone,” Hyunjin suggested, possibly just to mess with Jisung.</p><p>“No you couldn’t,” Jisung scoffed. “You’re a needy bitch. You wouldn’t last a week alone.”</p><p>“I have Seungmin,” Hyunjin pointed out.</p><p>“You’re not supposed to hug Seungmin!” Jeongin protested.</p><p>“Oh, is that in the rule book?” Hyunjin asked sarcastically. “I’d love to see it and find out WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>The room settled into a tense silence as everyone held their breath. Seungmin expected Jeongin to reply in turn but he seemed stunned by Hyunjin’s outburst. He probably hadn’t seen that before. Jisung and Seungmin had and Hyunjin tended to start throwing things next.</p><p>“Technically, it’s not in the rule book,” Seungmin said, breaking the silence. “But that’s because you’re not supposed to know about me in the first place. We’re past what the rule book covers… and I think that’s why I’m being so… unsure.”</p><p>“You’re used to following the rules and now there aren’t any,” Hyunjin summarised, smiling gently at him. </p><p>“No, there are definitely still rules,” Jeongin interrupted. “Having our wings visible, for example,” he gestured widely at Seungmin, “is definitely bad.”</p><p>“You’re doing it too,” Seungmin pointed out.</p><p>“You told me to!”</p><p>“Keep going,” Hyunjin prompted, taking out his phone. “No wings, no telling humans you exist, what else?”</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite having gone through generally the same training, Seungmin and Jeongin had differing opinions on what was a rule of conduct and what was a guideline. Seungmin was inclined to believe most things were advice, like ‘don’t eat food’, though he could admit that having already committed the offence did bias his opinion slightly. Jeongin, contrarily, thought that it was all rules but only from a morality standpoint and they weren’t really ever enforced. He had no evidence to back up this claim beyond ‘Chan seems fine with it.’</p><p>They must have mentioned Chan’s name too many times in their bickering because suddenly he was sweeping through the living room window. </p><p>Both humans flinched and Jisung yelped “shitbiscuit!” before toppling backwards out of his chair.</p><p>“Every time, Channie,” Seungmin complained. He crouched to bestow Jisung with the kiss he was proudly holding up his leg for and helped him back to his feet.</p><p>Chan smiled sheepishly. “Maybe I should have called ahead.”</p><p>“You think?” Jeongin said sarcastically. </p><p>“Sorry, Jisungie,” Chan apologised sincerely. “I’m used to working quickly and I forget it can be jarring to the human mind.” Forget the humans, Chan still gave Seungmin a fright sometimes.</p><p>“Do I know you?” Jisung asked, squinting at him. </p><p>“You may remember me from last night,” Chan suggested. “But I made you pretty sleepy almost immediately so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not a strong memory. That was kind of the point.”</p><p>“You made me forget writing my essay!” Jisung accused him. “And Minho-hyung.” And a great deal of other things but Seungmin wasn’t going to enlighten him if he didn’t have to.</p><p>“Yes. I’m sorry about that too,” Chan said. “It was a very unusual situation.”</p><p>“Speaking of unusual situations,” Hyunjin piped up from the couch. He had gotten comfortable with angels very quickly but Seungmin supposed that was much better than the alternative. “Do you happen to know what angel rules Seungminnie should be following? He’s still having an identity crisis.”</p><p>Seungmin tried to glare at him but Chan was standing between them and stared Seungmin down. Seungmin quickly schooled his face. “I’m fine.”</p><p>“You’re definitely not!” Hyunjin called, shooting down his claim with a grin. </p><p>“I felt your panic attack earlier, Seungminnie,” Chan told him. “You’re not fine.”</p><p>“<em>Ok,”</em> Seungmin huffed. The sooner this was over, the better. “I’m not fine,” he admitted. “I'm very stressed worrying that I’m going to get Hyunjin hurt by negligence and/or be taken out by some higher power for being generally terrible at my job. And I think I might be slowly losing my mind.” He was actually pretty confident on the last one because he’d never struggled to focus like he was now.</p><p>“I think you need a hug,” Hyunjin suggested.</p><p><em>“No,”</em> Jeongin disagreed strongly.</p><p>“Yeah, go get a hug,” Chan overruled him, gently pushing Seungmin towards Hyunjin. “Hugs are good.”</p><p>Seungmin took a step towards Hyunjin and then stopped. Hyunjin was lying along the couch, his head propped on the armrest and his arms held out towards Seungmin. Surely he didn’t want Seungmin to lie on top of him. </p><p>“Can you stand up,” Seungmin asked him quietly, very aware that the three other people in the room were watching intently.</p><p>Hyunjin shook his head and made grabby hands at Seungmin. “Come hug.”</p><p>Was he trying to kill Seungmin? Hadn’t Seungmin been through enough? </p><p>He didn’t dare look back to see the others’ reactions and just knelt on the cushion by Hyunjin’s knee and lowered himself into Hyunjin’s arms, ending with his face pressed awkwardly against Hyunjin’s chest. Hyunjin stroked down his wings with both hands, humming happily, and then slid his hands under Seungmin’s wings at the small of his back to squeeze them both together. Seungmin’s legs slotted beside Hyunjin’s and he lost the tension in his arms holding them apart, ending up partially on top of Hyunjin and partially trapped between him and the back of the couch. </p><p>It was comfortable and a stray thought betrayed Seungmin to think ‘<em><strong>this </strong>is how you should lie together in bed’.</em> That was taking the relaxation a little too far so Seungmin looked up to ground himself in the room again.</p><p>Jeongin was scowling at him.</p><p>“Chan told me to,” Seungmin said, letting his arm move to a natural position across Hyunjin’s waist. If Chan said it was ok then he didn’t have to feel guilty about enjoying the hug. </p><p>“I don’t see why,” Jeongin protested and was promptly wrestled into a hug by Chan. </p><p>“Reduces stress,” Chan said, once he’d successfully trapped Jeongin’s arms against his sides. “Minnie is very stressed so he needs extra hugs.”</p><p>“I can provide extra hugs,” Hyunjin said happily, giving Seungmin a squeeze.</p><p>“Excellent!” Chan said and released Jeongin. Jeongin took three large strides away from him and sheltered behind Jisung. “In terms of rules, Seungminnie,” Chan continued, “it’s pretty vague. Besides keeping your identity hidden, you are to intervene as little as possible while keeping Hyunjin safe and well. I would argue that eating and hugs and things like that are not intervention on his decisions so you’re fine to continue doing them.”</p><p>“It impedes my ability to prevent injury though,” Seungmin argued weakly. This hug was really making his worries seem small and unnecessary. That, or Chan had extended some of his calming energy to work on angels. Seungmin wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter- Chan was sneaky like that.</p><p>“If you’re not getting the prickling on the back of your neck, it’s not that serious,” Chan assured him. “You would miss that kind of thing if you were working normally from the roof anyway.” Chan had a good point there. Who knows how many mishaps Seungmin had missed from being out of sight. “You’ve managed this far, right Hyunjinnie?” Chan asked with a wink.</p><p>“Still got all my fingers and toes!” Hyunjin announced proudly, lifting the limbs not trapped by Seungmin to wiggle them in the air. “And if I walk into a couple extra walls, you can always fix it,” he told Seungmin. Fix <em>him</em>, he meant.</p><p>“Just don’t walk into walls,” Seungmin muttered. “It’s not that hard.”</p><p>“Ehh,” Jeongin said from across the room. “Walls are very difficult to navigate.”</p><p>“Are you still flying into walls?” Chan sighed tiredly.</p><p>“<em>No,”</em> Jeongin lied. Well, maybe it was the truth because he tended to avoid walls and fly into windows instead. Seungmin chose not to call him out on it since Jeongin had significantly more dirt on him at that moment.</p><p>Chan didn’t believe Jeongin anyway. “Right, I’m reteaching you phasing. Tonight,-”</p><p>“It’s a Saturday,” Seungmin reminded him. To be honest, he was amazed Chan had taken this much time off as it was, even if it was the middle of the afternoon. It must be utter chaos outside without a single angel on patrol.</p><p>“<em>Not</em> tonight,” Chan corrected. “Next week sometime. Crap, I really have to go,” he said in frustration, rubbing the back of his neck. “Next week, Innie.” he promised/threatened hurriedly, pointing at the younger angel. “And Seungminnie, stay with Innie, don’t stress, get plenty of hugs. I love you both.” He left before they even got the chance to deny his confession.</p><p>“I don’t want to fly into walls next week,” Jeongin whined, once he was sure Chan was gone.</p><p>“Don’t, then,” Seungmin said cheekily. Jeongin threw a pen at him.</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>what if it was just 1k more of cuddles?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“When are you going to stop hugging?” Jeongin asked. If Seungmin didn’t know better he would say Jeongin was jealous. It might have been the crossed arms that were giving him the wrong impression, or the accusatory tone, or the daggers Jeongin was glaring at Hyunjin.</p><p>“Not yet,” Hyunjin replied, patting Seungmin’s side. “Minnie isn’t fully melty yet.”</p><p>“He isn’t what now?” Jeongin asked in concern.</p><p>“Melty,” Jisung said casually, tipping his chair back onto two legs and continuing to scroll on his phone. He looked up when Jeongin didn’t answer. “What? You’ve never had a hug so good you fully melt into the other person like cheese on a toastie?”</p><p>“Angels don’t really hug,” Seungmin reminded him as Jeongin was too busy being horrified by the idea.</p><p>“Says the bitch getting the best damn cuddle of his life,” Jisung pointed out. He was right, but the only reason it was the best cuddle of Seungmin’s life was that <em>angels didn’t really hug.</em> “Yo, Jinnie,” Jisung continued. “You better be giving me a hug once you’ve meltied Angelface. I am feeling very single and alone right now.”</p><p>“Hug Jeongin,” Hyunjin suggested. </p><p>Jeongin was not a fan of that option and stumbled away from Jisung with his fists raised. “Don’t you dare.”</p><p>“As my angel, you have to,” Jisung declared, dropping his chair back to four legs suddenly and standing ready. </p><p>“Not in the rules,” Jeongin argued, side-stepping Jisung as he tried to corner him. “Also I think I’m really Seungminnie’s angel right now, not yours.”</p><p>“Angelface has Hyunjin- <em>my</em> Hyunjin, by the way -and I thought caring for humans was like rule one. I’m human, and I need hugs. Care about me,” Jisung pouted.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin zoned out their bickering as they danced around the living room, Jeongin taking a step away for every step Jisung got closer. He tapped Hyunjin on the ribs.</p><p>“What do you mean I’m not melty enough?” he asked quietly.</p><p>Hyunjin huffed out a laugh and it made his chest shake under Seungmin’s head. “You’re tense,” Hyunjin explained.</p><p>“I am not.” Seungmin had never been less tense in his life. He was <em>lying down</em> -something he hadn’t really done at all before the crash- and he wasn’t focusing on keeping track of Hyunjin, because Hyunjin was right beside him.</p><p>“Are too,” Hyunjin said, poking Seungmin’s thigh. “Tense. You could stand up in five seconds. That’s not melty enough.” He pushed onto his elbows and grunted as he shuffled himself further down the couch so he could lie flat, his head now pillowed on the cushion that had been under his back before. Seungmin braced away from him as he did so and when Hyunjin stopped their faces were just inches apart. Seungmin could feel his hot breath on his skin as they made eye contact. “Lie back down.”</p><p>“Why?” Seungmin protested. He certainly wasn’t going to get any less tense now they were closer than before. This whole hugging thing was getting more stressful actually, since it appeared he was doing it wrong.</p><p>“Because I’m trying to teach you to enjoy life and stop living on constant high alert.” Hyunjin replied exasperatedly. “I’m fine. I’m at home and you’re right here. You can relax, maybe even take a nap. It would be good for you.”</p><p>“Angels don’t sleep,” Seungmin told him reflexively and Hyunjin wrestled him into lying on top of him. It wasa better position because now his wing wasn’t trapped against the back of the couch but it felt very intimate to be pressed together nearly head to toe. He could hear Hyunjin’s heartbeat where his ear was cupped to Hyunjin’s shoulder where his zipped hoodie had fallen open and Hyunjin’s hips dug into the sides of his waist slightly. His own hips were cushioned on Hyunjin’s dancer thighs and he was prevented from tipping to either side by Hyunjin’s left arm weighing down on the small of his back. Seungmin wouldn’t tip over anyway because he wings were free to balance him. He’d opened them slightly to use as ballast but because he wasn’t holding them up they were acting more like a blanket over the top of them, blocking out the rest of the world. </p><p>“I’m starting to think that’s only because angels don’t relax. <em>Ever.”</em> Hyunjin said. “You’re lying like a plank.” He sighed and Seungmin felt it in the rise of his ribcage. “Ok. I’m going to start poking muscles and you’re going to relax them.”</p><p>“I’m going to stand up,” Seungmin decided, lifting his head and trying to push away. “I’ve been hugged enough.”</p><p>Hyunjin locked his arms around him. “No. I am the expert here. I will determine when you have been hugged enough.”</p><p>“Hyunjinnie, your ideal hug lasts three hours,” Seungmin complained. He’d seen it happen.</p><p>“And?”</p><p>“And you’re going to get hungry before you decide it’s been a good hug. Let me up. You need to have lunch.”</p><p>“Hugs after lunch?” Hyunjin asked, not releasing his grip.</p><p>“Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Seungmin.” Hyunjin’s stomach rumbled and Seungmin felt it against his own belly. Seungmin raised his eyebrows and Hyunjin shook  his head dismissively. “Ignore that. Answer the question.”</p><p>“Maybe later,” Seungmin said. He pulled his wings back in and glanced around the room but it was empty, Jeongin and Jisung having gone elsewhere in their hug war. “I need to groom Innie’s wings.” Seungmin explained. “As part of my apology for scaring him earlier.”</p><p>“Ooh,” Hyunjin said, sitting them both up so Seungmin was straddled across his lap. “Should I help?” </p><p>Seungmin considered it. Hyunjin had done a pretty good job with his own wings earlier but, admittedly, Seungmin had more than a bit of a soft spot for his personal human disaster and Hyunjin would have had to have broken bones for Seungmin to say he’d done a bad job. Jeongin, however, had a lower tolerance for Hyunjin and he might not forgive him if he messed up.</p><p>“Is that a no?” Hyunjin guessed as Seungmin thought for too long.</p><p>“We’ll see what kind of mood he’s in,” Seungmin decided, patting Hyunjin’s hand. “You should at least be able to watch so you know better for next time.”</p><p>“He won’t really give me nightmares, will he?” Hyunjin asked as Seungmin braced off his shoulder to stand up.</p><p>“I will not let Innie give you nightmares,” Seungmin assured him. “But I should go rescue him from Jisung. You, work out what you’re going to do to stop your belly rumbling. Whatever was in your boba was not a meal.”</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“His wings are prettier than yours,” Hyunjin mumbled almost unthinkingly as Seungmin pulled Jeongin’s right wing open for inspection. They had cleared space in the middle of the living room for Jeongin and Seungmin to stand and despite the many seats in the room Hyunjin had chosen to hang off Seungmin’s shoulder to watch him work. His comment was unnecessary, and rude.</p><p>Seungmin pushed his own wings backwards and they caught Hyunjin across the chest, sending him sliding backwards on his socks. “What was that?” Seungmin asked innocently as Hyunjin yelped and tumbled onto the couch.</p><p>“You’re both pretty,” Hyunjin corrected himself, rushing up behind Seungmin again and kissing his cheek before settling back on his shoulder. “I just meant that Innie’s feathers are longer and thinner.”</p><p>“No, you were right the first time,” Jeongin said. “I am prettier.” Seungmin pinched his neck in retaliation and Jeongin flinched, laughing gleefully.</p><p>“Are you sure you want to make me mad while your very fragile wing bones are in my hands?” Seungmin threatened. He and Jeongin threatened and insulted each other all the time. It was a cathartic break from having to patiently watch humans do impossibly stupid things all day. But Hyunjin didn’t know that.</p><p>“Seungminnie!” he exclaimed. “Don’t say that!”</p><p>“I’m not gonna,” Seungmin grumbled as he fanned Jeongin’s primaries out. They were a little cracked like his were from sitting, but not as bad. “Innie, you can’t sit on your wings,” he explained to his fellow angel, pointing out the damage. “You’ve got to either phase them or open them when you sit.”</p><p>“Oh sure, I can definitely phase them,” Jeongin grumbled sarcastically. He was still in a bad mood at the thought of phase practice with Chan on Monday.</p><p>“I can make you a stool,” Hyunjin offered. Oh, sweet Hyunjin.</p><p>“Hyunjinnie, no,” Seungmin said firmly. “You are not making any stools.”</p><p>“Any <em>more</em> stools,” Jeongin corrects him and Hyunjin huffs angrily by Seungmin’s ear.</p><p>“How do <em>you</em> know about that?” he asked Jeongin moodily.</p><p>“Seungmin complained about it to me,” Jeongin said. “<em>Obviously.”</em></p><p>“What else do you know?” Hyunjin asked next, shifting behind Seungmin to better hang off him. It seemed to be his favourite position lately: his left arm over Seungmin’s left shoulder, his chin on Seungmin’s right. Seungmin had the smell of his strawberry shampoo memorised, or rather- the smell of the strawberry shampoo <em>on Hyunjin </em>memorised, because he knew it smelled different out the bottle. Maybe it mixed with his aftershave. Whatever it was, it smelled good and Seungmin was already beginning to get a little bit addicted.</p><p>“I know every single embarrassing moment of your life,” Jeongin said proudly. It wasn’t true. Seungmin didn’t see everything, let alone tell Jeongin everything. But, in fairness, Jeongin had heard quite a lot.</p><p>“You need to tell me embarrassing things about you then,” Hyunjin decided. “So we’re even.”</p><p>“Ehhh. No.” Jeongin replied. “Hearing about your worst moments is the closest thing I get to pay for what I put up with.”</p><p>“Seungminnie, you can break his wing now,” Hyunjin said lightly, his breath fanning across Seungmin’s jaw. Seungmin did no such thing.</p><p>***</p><p>The angels were used to standing for long periods of time and it didn’t bother them in the slightest, but by the time Seungmin had groomed the back of one wing Hyunjin had gotten heavier on his shoulder and he’d eventually sunk to the floor. He crawled around to sit on the couch facing Jeongin while Seungmin groomed Jeongin’s other wing. Their conversation quickly left Seungmin out but he didn’t mind. It was nice just to relax and listen to them getting along. </p><p>Jeongin was always slow to warm up to people but, in an odd way, he already knew Hyunjin well so he was more open than he would usually be. And Hyunjin was notorious for befriending strangers so having only found out about Jeongin’s existence that week didn’t dampen his enthusiasm in the slightest.</p><p>“Have you ever seen a proposal?” Hyunjin was asking when Seungmin focused on their conversation again. He sighed wistfully. “I’ve seen them on tv but never in real life. I’ve always wanted to. Like, what is it about that moment that makes the person think <em>‘this is it’</em>, you know?”</p><p>“You are remembering I’m sent to crises, not happy moments?” Jeongin said.</p><p>“Oh, no!” Hyunjin cried. “Does that mean you’ve seen a failed proposal? Oh, I can’t imagine how awful that would be. For both people. To love someone that much… and…”</p><p>“Hyunjinnie,” Seungmin cut in softly as he felt Hyunjin’s emotions rising. “You don’t need to think about it.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“I've not seen that,” Jeongin assured him. “I might have passed by some proposals but it’s not my area of duty so I don’t pay attention, that’s all.” Seungmin hit a ticklish spot nearer his back and he shivered, pulling his wing away for a moment before relaxing again. “I imagine most proposals are taken well, since the couple must know each other well to reach that stage.”</p><p>“I hope so,” Hyunjin said quietly. There was a moment of silence and then he found his next question. “Do you ever help babies?”</p><p>“Occasionally,” Jeongin replied and Seungmin stopped his grooming.</p><p>“You do?” he asked in surprise. He’d never heard of this.</p><p>Jeongin shrugged. “Sometimes babies don’t get any attention,” he said in a quiet, careful tone. “I can help for a little bit.”</p><p><em>Oh</em>. Seungmin had such a narrow view of the world from following Hyunjin. He’d seen more of the world than Jeongin but Jeongin had seen more of the district, more than just the privileged life Hyunjin led. He wondered why Jeongin had never told him about those kinds of jobs. Was he being too self-centred? Did Jeongin not feel he could talk about the other kinds of people he helped.</p><p>From the other side of Jeongin’s wings there was the unmistakable sound of Hyunjin trying not to cry. Seungmin ducked under Jeongin and was kneeling by him in seconds. </p><p><em>“Hey</em>. Hyunjinnie, it’s ok. Don’t cry. Jeonginnie helped them.”</p><p>Hyunjin hid his face and then got overwhelmed and reached out for Seungmin. Seungmin, perched on the edge of the couch and pulled him into his arms, tucking Hyunjin’s face against his chest and patting his back.</p><p>“Can I- help?” Hyunjin asked Jeongin shakily, brushing away his tears as they fell. “Can I donate somewhere? Or- or- vol-volunteer?” He was just too full of love and it hurt him sometimes. Seungmin squeezed him tighter.</p><p>Jeongin bit his lip. “Not really,” he said. “It’s rare. And not exactly predictable. It’s just… the life some people are dealt,” he finished sadly.</p><p>Hyunjin’s tears welled up again. “Why should <em>I</em> get an angel to myself?” he said. “It’s not <em>fair</em>.”</p><p>“I know, sweetie,” Seungmin whispered into his hair. He understood, better than anyone, the guilt that came with his position. “But there’s a reason for it.”</p><p>“What?” Hyunjin sobbed. “What about me is more important than a baby that- that nobody loves? Or like, that kid Felix was helping this morning?” Seungmin didn’t know what kid Hyunjin was talking about but he got the idea. Those were the mild cases too. He hoped Hyunjin wouldn’t even learn about the more serious stuff the other angels dealt with.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Seungmin said, stroking his hair in long, soothing motions. “But it’s something. You’re going to do something really good, Hyunjinnie. Something so overwhelmingly good that I’ve had to stay by your side for a decade and a half to stop you eating sand.”</p><p>“I don’t eat sand anymore,” Hyunjin grumbled wetly. Seungmin’s joke had worked to lighten the mood a little. He was glad. Revealing angels to Hyunjin would have been worth it just for this, to never have to watch Hyunjin cry alone again. </p><p>“Ahh, so it’s been a job well done then,” Seungmin said playfully. “Say ‘thank you Seungmin’.”</p><p>“Thank you Seungmin,” Hyunjin mumbled into Seungmin’s collar with too much sincerity for a joke. “I don’t deserve you.”</p><p>Seungmin disagreed.</p>
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<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I return! sorry for the massive wait with no warning. Hopefully I should get back up to speed now.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin noticed a shift in their relationship after that. His guard came down a little and Hyunjin grew more serious. It was a change they carefully balanced together without discussing it as Hyunjin gradually took more responsibility for himself and Seungmin worried less. He still worried of course because Hyunjin was Hyunjin but he was better at looking out for traffic these days.</p><p>“Jinnie, you need to eat something before dance,” Seungmin reminded Hyunjin as Hyunjin seemed too engrossed in his project to realise. They were back in the computer lab as they often were recently. It was late enough that most other people had gone home and Seungmin had his own chair. It only took a little concentration to phase his wings through the back now, something Jeongin was very envious of.</p><p>“Five minutes, Angel,” Hyunjin muttered. “I’ve had an idea.”</p><p>“Hmm? What idea?” Seungmin asked. Hyunjin didn’t really have time to be having ideas. His project was due in a few days.</p><p>“So it’s a learning pod, right?” Hyunjin said as if Seungmin hadn’t listened to him talk about it for hours and hours. “And it’s kind of oval shaped. So what if I made it a hollow seed? Like it’s growing learning? Or something? I can make a better spiel if it works and the professors would love a metaphor like that.”</p><p>Seungmin stood up and leaned over Hyunjin’s shoulder to see what he was doing. “You don’t have time for this,” he said, eying the number of tabs Hyunjin had open and his sketches of recalculated forces.</p><p>“I can make time,” Hyunjin said determinedly. “If I do an all-nighter tomorrow night it should work. It would be really cool like that, right?” He turned his head slightly to look at Seungmin, their cheeks touching.</p><p>“I would rather you didn’t overwork yourself,” Seungmin replied but it wasn’t the first time Hyunjin had finished a project like this and it wouldn’t be the last. “Start saving everything- you’ve got to go eat.”</p><p>“If I eat before dance I’ll throw up,” Hyunjin complained.</p><p>“If you eat nothing you’ll do that fun ‘blackout’ thing again,” Seungmin countered. </p><p>“That was one time,” Hyunjin whined. “Last year.”</p><p>“And it was not an enjoyable experience for either of us so you will eat a banana at least before practice.” Seungmin pushed off of Hyunjin’s shoulders and turned to go back to his seat when he saw a familiar face glaring at him. He reached over Hyunjin’s shoulder and picked up his phone.</p><p>“Wha-” Hyunjin started, turning around to get it back, but the words died in his throat.</p><p>“Hiya Innie,” Seungmin said, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Jeongin had gone back to regular work the day before and they hadn’t expected to see him so soon.</p><p>“Hi,” Jeongin said. “You’re still looking for that Changbin kid, right?”</p><p>“Technically…” Seungmin replied. Honestly, he’d kind of forgotten about him and Chan let it slide.</p><p>“He’s on my list right now,” Jeongin said. “You can come with me but I don’t think Disaster Boy can keep up.”</p><p>“I can,” Hyunjin said hurriedly. “Just give me a moment to log out.”</p><p>Jeongin blinked at him in disbelief. “You can’t fly, idiot.”</p><p>“And you shouldn’t be able to hear his half of the conversation,” Seungmin bent down to whisper to him. Thankfully, none of the other students seemed to care enough to pay them any attention. “Jinnie has dance now,” Seungmin told Jeongin. “I can drop him with Minho and then come find you?”</p><p>“I’m not a toddler,” Hyunjin protested. “I can make it to the studio myself.”</p><p>“I wholly disagree,” Jeongin said. “If it’s a bad time that’s ok. I just thought I’d tell you while I have time with Changbin.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Seungmin said dejectedly. An hour earlier and he could have left Hyunjin to his project for a while but now wasn’t ideal. “I don’t think I have time right now and Jisung is at work so we can’t get him. Let me know how it goes though and I’ll try and work something out soon.”</p><p>“Will do,” Jeongin said, opening his wings. “See you tonight.”</p><p>“Bye,” Seungmin said, and watched Jeongin fly through the roof. He was really improving.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>“Can you track him?” Hyunjin asked, throwing his notes haphazardly into his bag. “I want to go help.”</p><p>“Jinnie, you have dance in twenty minutes,” Seungmin reminded him.</p><p>“Plenty of time,” Hyunin replied, standing up. “Where are we going?”</p><p>“This is a bad plan,” Seungmin said, but there would be no dissuading Hyunjin. He gave in.  “That way.”</p><p>“Medicine Building,” Hyunjin said, calculating the direction of Seungmin’s point. “Ok, let’s go.”</p><p>***</p><p>Changbin was in a bad state when they found him, hidden in a bathroom stall, quietly crying. Jeongin was talking soothingly to him through the door but if a human didn’t want to listen to a hidden angel they wouldn’t and it appeared Changbin wasn’t in an open mindset.</p><p>“Go <em>away</em>, Disaster Boy,” Jeongin said as Hyunjin and Seungmin came through the door. </p><p>“No,” Hyunjin answered. Changbin’s sobs stopped suddenly as he realised there were other people in the bathroom. Hyunjin strode over and knocked gently on the locked door. “Hey? Are you alright?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Changbin replied gruffly.</p><p>“He so isn’t,” Jeongin tacked on, out of Changbin’s hearing. He was letting out calming energy so Seungmin did the same.</p><p>“Do you want a hug?” Hyunjin asked Changbin through the door. </p><p><em>‘Hugs are good,’</em> Chan’s voice said in Seungmin’s head. And Seungmin knew from experience that Hyunjin’s hugs were especially good.</p><p>“Maybe,” Changbin replied, barely above a whisper.</p><p>“Unlock the door?” Hyunjin suggested and Seungmin heard the slap of a shoe hitting the tiles before the bolt slid across and a short, teary-eyed boy drowning in a lab coat at least two sizes too big for him stared up at Hyunjin. Hyunjin gave him a gentle smile and opened his arms. “I’m Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Changbin,” Changbin replied and glanced across in Seungmin in fear.</p><p>“I’m Seungmin, his boyfriend,” Seungmin lied. “He gives really good hugs,” he offered lightly. Jeongin gagged loudly over by the sinks.</p><p>“Is uni being shitty?” Hyunjin asked consolingly when Changbin hesitantly stepped in to hug him. Changbin whimpered slightly and buried his face deeper in Hyunjin’s jumper.</p><p>“I can’t-” Changbin started. “I can’t.”</p><p>“It’s ok,” Hyunjin said, patting his back. “It’s ok. We can help you.”</p><p>“How?” Changbin whispered helplessly. “I<em> know</em> how to do everything, I just can’t <em>do </em>it. I’ll never be a doctor.”</p><p>“Honestly, kid,” Jeongin piped up. “That might not be a bad thing.”</p><p>“Maybe I <em>shouldn’t</em> be a doctor,” Changbin said pulling away from Hyunjin and wiping his eyes. Jeongin’s words were having an effect now then. “Are you a medic?” Changbin asked Hyunjin. “What year are you?”</p><p>Hyunjin pulled a face and waved his hands in front of himself. “No, no. I study Product Design. I’m a second year. I don’t like needles <em>at all.”</em> And didn’t Seungmin know about it.</p><p>“Me either,” Changbin said dismally. “I keep stabbing them in the wrong place.”</p><p>Hyunjin went kind of pale. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound good.”</p><p>“Where is your stuff, Changbin-ssi?” Seungmin asked before Hyunjin could do something unhelpful like faint.</p><p>“In the lab,” Changbin mumbled. “What time is it? Class might be over now.”</p><p>“Twenty past six,” Seungmin replied, well aware that it took ten minutes to walk to the dance studio from here for Hyunjin’s class that started at half past and he still hadn’t eaten. “You can get your bag and then come get something to eat with us?” Seungmin offered.</p><p>“Am I done here?” Jeongin asked. “I feel unneeded.”</p><p>“Yeah, we've got it, Innie,” Hyunjin replied and even smiled at Jeongin… who was still invisible to Changbin.</p><p>Jeongin threw up his hands. “How many times in one day, Disaster Boy?” he asked exasperatedly. “Stop talking to me.” </p><p>“It’s difficult, ok!” Hyunjin complained.</p><p>Seungmin took him by the arm and steered him out of the bathroom before he could make things worse. “That was Jinnie’s imaginary friend,” he told Changbin conspiritorially as the poor boy hesitantly followed them.</p><p>“I’m not his friend!” Jeongin called after them.</p><p><em>Bye, Jeongin,</em> Seungmin told him pointedly through their mental connection.</p><p><em>Yeah, good luck with that,</em> Jeongin replied as he left. Seungmin was sure he’d get a long list of complaints about Hyunjin that night.</p><p>***</p><p>Changbin was kind enough not to bring up Hyunjin’s apparent psychotic episode when they took him for cake at the cafeteria. Seungmin made Hyunjin get a banana too so he had real fuel for dance even though he would be late now. He made a face at Seungmin had he peeled it and discovered it was much greener than his picky tastes preferred.</p><p>“Eat it,” Seungmin told him. “Or I’ll finish all your cake.” Hyunjin took a grumpy bite and made sure to show his disgust the whole time he chewed it.</p><p>“You guys are cute,” Changbin commented. “How long have you been together?”</p><p>“Uhh, I’m not sure,” Seungmin said, stalling. He’d been Hyunjin’s guardian for fifteen years so that was one number but Hyunjin had only known him for about a week and that was technically when they met. It felt like longer. He couldn’t imagine not being able to talk to Hyunjin and joke with him and hug him like he did now. He’d had a pretty empty life before and he hadn’t even known it. </p><p>“It feels like forever,” he answered truthfully and Hyunjin smiled at him for that answer, his eyes crinkling into slits. His expression quickly changed when his phone started ringing on the table in front of them. “That’ll be Minho,” Seungmin said cheerfully. Hyunjin was ten minutes late already.</p><p>“I’ll blame you,” Hyunjin told him as he picked his phone up and confirmed that, yes, it was Minho. “My dancer leader,” Hyunjin told Changbin apologetically. “He’ll be mad I’m late but it’s fine.”</p><p>“Wait- Lee Minho?” Changbin asked. “Fourth year?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hyunjin said with a frown. He still hadn’t picked up the call. “Why?”</p><p>“He’s my flatmate,” Changbin said, smiling. “Put him on speaker and I’ll get you out of trouble.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>quick reminder- 'phased' is when the angels can pass through solid objects. Seungmin has started doing it with just his wings which are also invisible so he appears entirely human. Hyunjin, however, can still see and touch his wings like this because Hyunjin is <i>weird</i></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin ran on ahead to practice and Seungmin refused to worry that he was out of his sight. He would only have one back road to cross on the campus and he would never be more than a few minutes away- how much trouble could one boy possibly find? Seungmin refused to think about the last time he’d had that thought and reined in his strides to walk slowly with Changbin. </p><p>Seungmin didn’t relax until they reached the studio and Hyunjin smiled at him from the middle of the dance formation, completely fine and already slightly red with exertion. The dancers didn’t stop and Seungmin led Changbin to the side where he and Jisung had sat before.</p><p>“We have to be quiet,” he told Changbin in a whisper and Minho raised an eyebrow at him while doing a perfect body roll. Seungmin had absolutely no idea what that meant.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>As it turned out, it meant ‘I’m going to make your life very difficult as soon as I’m done dancing.’</p><p>“Good evening, Seungmin.” Minho greeted him as the others started to pack up their things. “Have you changed your mind about giving me a feather yet?” Changbin looked between them all in confusion. Seungmin steadfastly ignored him. They were not doing this again.</p><p>“I’ve got one!” Hyunjin said proudly. Seungmin was going to strangle him. His feelings must have shown on his expression because Hyunjin’s eyes went wide and he laughed nervously. “That I, uh, can’t show you. Haha. Sorry.”</p><p>“Boyfriend privileges, is it?” Minho asked slyly.</p><p>“Can we avoid a repeat of last week, please,” Seungmin said determinedly. He didn’t trust Hyunjin not to accidentally give something away in front of Changbin and he <em>certainly</em> didn’t trust Minho.</p><p>“What happened last week?” Changbin asked curiously.</p><p>“Don’t-!” Seungmin said in warning as Hyunjin opened his mouth.</p><p>“I got some excellent free sushi and the best high of my life.” Minho said because, unlike Hyunjin, he had no respect for the difficulty of Seungmin’s job. “Not been that relaxed since before I learned how to read.” </p><p>“You got high?” Changbin asked in surprise.</p><p>“Probably,” Minho answered dismissively. “Anyway, how are you, Binnie Baby? Bad day?” He pinched Changbin’s hollow cheek. “Shall I employ Hyunjinnie to throw apples at the heads of your professors?”</p><p>That brought a smile to Changbin’s face. “No. The professors are harsh but not without reason. They can’t pass me on a practical and then have me kill a patient.” He trailed off to a mumble at the end of the sentence. “Today…. It was a good thing today was just practice.”</p><p>“I’m sure it didn’t go as badly as you think,” Hyunjin said optimistically. “Minho-hyung always says I am my own worst critic. I’m sure it’s the same for you.”</p><p>“Minho-hyung does say that,” Changbin agreed shyly.</p><p>“Because Minho-hyung is right!” Minho declared proudly. “And now Minho-hyung says you need to eat before you become a tiny pile of bones for the next intake of med students to play with.” He linked his arm in Changbin’s and started to drag him towards the door of the now nearly-empty studio. “HyunSeung! You too. Leave!”</p><p>“Are we coming with you, Hyung?” Hyunjin asked eagerly. He linked his fingers with Seungmin’s and pulled him after them. “ Are you treating?”</p><p>“I suppose,” Minho said with a displeased frown. “This is a one-off though. Because you helped Binnie.”</p><p>“And what if we help Changbin-ssi again?” Hyunjin asked cockily. Seungmin squeezed his hand hard to get him to shut up but it was too little too late.</p><p>“Ah?” Minho said in interest. “It was my Binnie after all.” He was quick-witted, Seungmin would give him that.</p><p>“What’s going on?” Changbin asked. It was happening again.</p><p>“What’s going on is Seungminnie heading for a panic attack if we continue,” Minho accurately informed him.</p><p>“Oh, Angel,” Hyunjin gushed, stroking down Seungmin’s folded wings. “I’m sorry. We can go home?”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Seungmin assured him, leaning a little into Hyunjin’s side. It wasn’t nearly as overwhelming to be in human society as it was when he first crash-landed and he managed most of what Hyunjin threw at him. He could hold it together for a little longer for Hyunjin to hang out with his friends. “Just...<em>behave</em>, will you.”</p><p>Hyunjin laughed and brushed his lips on Seungmin’s cheekbone. “Yes, Angel. I’ll do my best.”</p><p>“That’s all I can ask for,” Seungmin replied, his irritation already fading. </p><p>***</p><p>“Aren’t you going to eat more, Seungminnie?” Changbin asked, when they had nearly finished their meal. Seungmin had done little more than accept mouthfuls of various dishes from Hyunjin and steer the conversation since they sat down. He was hoping to find a way to bring Changbin and Jisung together without a big event but it looked like he might need to conscript Minho to help and he had a feeling that would cost him.</p><p>“I ate already,” Seungmin lied. “Really, I’m fine.”</p><p>“He’s just stuck to Hyunjinnie like glue,” Minho remarked. “I’m amazed they parted for Hyunjin to run to practice tonight.”</p><p>“I think it’s cute!” Changbin declared. </p><p>“Thanks,” Seungmin said dryly. He couldn't deny it while Changbin was in the dark about his identity.</p><p>"Seungminnie <em>is</em> very cute," Hyunjin piped up. "I'm so lucky to have him in my life. I wish everyone could have someone like him."</p><p>"Ok, that's enough," Seungmin told him quietly, putting a hand on Hyunjin's thigh. As disguised as Hyunjin's words were, it was still taking it a little too far. Minho had certainly caught on and was smiling into his drink. </p><p>"It's truuue," Hyunjin whispered in his ear and Seungmin could smell the alcohol in his breath. He pushed him away but Hyunjin remained stubbornly pressed to his side.</p><p>"Minho-hyung, I should be taking Jinnie home," Seungmin said. It was only a matter of time now before Hyunjin said something he shouldn’t and Seungmin was struggling to concentrate on everything he had to do in such a busy environment.</p><p>"Oh, no, I'm going to the library to work on my design," Hyunjin announced.</p><p>"Hyunjin," Seungmin said as calmly as he could. He couldn't say what he wanted to say in Changbin’s company but surely Hyunjin could see what a terrible idea that was.</p><p>"Seungmin," Hyunjin replied sweetly, ignoring his warning.</p><p>"Hyunjin, you've been on a campus all day," Seungmin reminded him. They’d both been on campus all day. "Go home."</p><p>"I've had a break for dance and dinner," Hyunjin argued. "And now's the perfect time to go- the library will be empty."</p><p>"Because even the try-hards like Binnie go home on a Friday night," Minho pointed out. "Jin, you're not seriously going back to work now?"</p><p>"Yup!" Hyunjin said cheerily. "I'll be fine, Seungminnie will be with me."</p><p>"Damn, that's dedication," Changbin muttered under his breath. He had no idea. </p><p>"Seungminnie will drag you home now if he has to," Seungmin threatened Hyunjin. </p><p>"No you won't," Hyunjin called his bluff. He leaned in to bring their faces inches apart and his eyes sparkled with mischief. "You're not allowed," he said with a grin. The reminder lit a spark of anger in Seungmin’s chest. He hated watching Hyunjin make stupid decisions and it was even more irritating now he was doing it to his face.</p><p>“You can go alone then,” Seungmin said sharply, holding his gaze. The excitement disappeared from Hyunjin’s eyes and he leaned back and shuffled away so they were no longer touching.</p><p>“Oh, ok,” he said, crestfallen. “You’ll still be- ?” he cut himself off just in time and his eyes darted to Changbin.</p><p>“I have to,” Seungmin reminded him. He had to follow Hyunjin, regardless of whether he agreed with his decision. If he wasn’t by his side he would be on the roof, the same as he always was before.</p><p>“Sorry,” Hyunjin mumbled. </p><p>“It’s ok,” Seungmin replied. It wasn’t really. This new lifestyle wasn’t easy to adjust to, for either of them. They were together all the time and Seungmin did absolutely love Hyunjin’s company but whenever they had a disagreement Hyunjin always won and it was difficult not to get frustrated. Especially as most of their disagreements were about Hyunjin’s health and Seungmin worried, no matter how small the issue was. Before, he would have used Suggestion in a situation like this to get Hyunjin to rest but now that felt wrong so he’d just have to sit and worry until Hyunjin chose to go home himself.</p><p>The atmosphere at their table had grown awkward and Changbin was fiddling with the leftovers on his plate. Minho, meanwhile, was scrutinising them.</p><p>“We’re fine,” Seungmin told him quietly. He was dismissed.</p><p>“Go home, Hyunjin,” Minho told his friend firmly. “Your design can wait until tomorrow, other things can’t.”</p><p>“I-” Hyunjin spluttered, looking between Seungmin and Minho. “What?”</p><p>“Your <em>boyfriend</em>, Hyunjin,” Minho said exasperatedly. “Seungmin clearly wants to go home and, given his previous silent sacrifices for you, it’s for a good reason. Dragging him to the library at this hour for god knows how long is, frankly, a shitty thing to do.”</p><p>Changbin looked up with wide worried eyes and Seungmin didn’t know how to assure him that it was ok. He wasn’t sure if it was.</p><p>“But-” Hyunjin started. “You’re fine, right?” he asked Seungmin. “And I’m fine. I’ll just be sitting at a computer…”</p><p>“He’s not going to tell you no,” Minho pointed out when Seungmin didn’t answer. He was astoundingly perceptive and Seungmin felt a little embarrassed that he was letting Minho do his talking for him. “You said it yourself- he’s not allowed. Pay attention, before you hurt him more.”</p><p>“Seungminnie?” Hyunjin asked helplessly, his perfect eyebrows drawn in concern.</p><p>“I can’t make your decisions, Hyunjin,” Seungmin said. “If you decide to go to the library then go to the library but I reached my limit of public appearances for today a while ago so, whatever you decide, can it happen soon?” Originally, he was going to go for a fly while Hyunjin walked back from dance and then maybe go to the roof for a little while and this was really pushing the limits of how long he could keep his wings phased or even act human convincingly.</p><p>“You should have said,” Hyunjin said, reaching out to run his thumb along the ridge of Seungmin’s wing. Seungmin grasped his wrist and pulled his hand away as soon as he made contact.</p><p>“Not while I’m sitting down,” Seungmin said through gritted teeth, not caring anymore how it might look to Changbin. He was really at his limit now and if he lost the phase on his wings while sitting down it would be agony on top of being  a colossal fuck up.</p><p>“We can go home,” Hyunjin decided quickly. “Right now. Minho-hyung, -”</p><p>“I’ve got the bill,” Minho said understandingly. “Go.”</p><p>“Thanks, Minho,” Seungmin said as Hyunjin guided him out of his seat. He was talking about more than the bill. Minho smiled wryly and ushered them away.</p><p>“It was nice to meet you,” Changbin piped up cheerfully. </p><p>“You too,” Seungmin replied and Hyunjin mumbled something similar. He was busy mapping a way out of the restaurant and collecting his bag from under the table. “Hopefully we can meet again under better circumstances.” Like a house party including Jisung perhaps.</p><p>“Yeah,” Changbin agreed, blushing slightly. “Thanks for the hug, Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Any time,” Hyunjin said with a smile, angling himself between Seungmin and a passing waiter so Seungmin’s wings wouldn’t touch anything if they weren’t phased. “Seriously, any time. Seungminnie can attest- I love hugs.”</p><p>“He does love hugs,” Seungmin confirmed.</p><p>“Urgh, leave already!” Minho said loudly, efficiently cutting their small talk short. Seungmin offered Changbin a small wave as they left and let Hyunjin guide him around the busy tables, out the door, and down a side alley.</p><p>***</p><p>“I’m really sorry,” Hyunjin said as soon as they were free. </p><p>“It’s ok,” Seungmin said, turning invisible and unphasing his wings in the darkened street. He felt some of the pressure come off his shoulders. “It was just kind of a long day and-”</p><p>“Yeah, I should have realised,” Hyunjin interrupted. “You’ve been keeping your wings phased since, what, my ten am class?”</p><p>“The walk to your ten am,” Seungmin corrected. “It’s not too difficult anymore but it’s a lot to think about.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Hyunjin said again. He opened his arms. “Hug?”</p><p>“When we get home,” Seungmin decided. He wouldn't be able to fully relax until then anyway. “Can you stay out of trouble if I fly above you?” he asked. “No walking into lamp posts, or traffic.”</p><p>“I will look where I’m going the whole time,” Hyunjin promised seriously. “And I’ll wait for the green man at every crossing. <em>And</em> I won’t even stand in a puddle.”</p><p>“Oooh, avoiding puddles too!” Seungmin joked, feigning astonishment. “Wow. You’re so competent, I don’t know why you could possibly need a guardian angel.”</p><p>“It’s because I’m too awesome,” Hyunjin said. “Race you home?”</p><p>“No! Hyunjin, <em>walk!” </em>Seungmin called after his retreating figure.</p><p>***</p><p>“I stood in dog shit,” Hyunjin announced with a grin when he met Seungmin at the front door. “And then I stood in a puddle but that was deliberate, to try and get the dog shit off.”</p><p>“And did that work?” Seungmin asked. He’d watched the whole thing from the rooftops.</p><p>“No, now my sock is wet too,” Hyunjin admitted sheepishly. “But I didn’t walk into traffic!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>happy new year! may it be a better one for all of us</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Seungminnie, have you seen me naked?" Hyunjin asked casually, stepping back into his room after his shower. Seungmin kept his eyes resolutely fixed on Hyunjin's phone in his hand, staring at it so intently the colours started to blur.</p><p>"Are you naked right now?" Seungmin asked reluctantly. He knew what the answer was.</p><p>"I forgot to take my pyjamas to the bathroom," Hyunjin said. From the acoustics, he was standing in the doorway with the door half closed, nowhere near his wardrobe where he could find clothes to put on. "But you must have seen me naked before, right? I've fallen asleep in the bath at least twice before."</p><p>"I have seen you naked," Seungmin admitted. "For work reasons." It had been a while since the last time and Seungmin had been too focused on keeping Hyunjin alive to really take notice of much. If he looked up now he was pretty sure things would go differently so he stayed lying down on Hyunjin's bed with only the headboard and the wall in his periphery, safe from temptation.</p><p>"That's what I thought," Hyunjin said cheerily. "So I don't need to bother changing in the bathroom anymore. You're lying on my pyjamas, by the way."</p><p>Seungmin closed his eyes and rolled over towards the wall. He heard and felt Hyunjin move closer and flip up the duvet to retrieve his pyjamas, smelled his shampoo and body wash too close. Hyunjin laughed at him and poked his cheek.</p><p>"You can look, I don't mind."</p><p>Seungmin opened his eyes to Hyunjin's soft grin above him. Hyunjin really was beautiful and so much more so when he was smiling.</p><p>"You're blushing," Hyunjin told him.</p><p>"Your hair is dripping on me," Seungmin replied and Hyunjin reached out to wipe the water from Seungmin's cheek only for more to fall. Hyunjin laughed at that and shook his head like a dog.</p><p>"Seungminnie gets a shower too!" Seungmin closed his eyes against the attack and blindly pushed Hyunjin away. Hyunjin's skin was cool against his palm, the firmness of his pec and the ridge of his collarbone above it. </p><p>"Get dressed, you menace," Seungmin scolded him.</p><p>"You love me," Hyunjin sing-songed teasingly but he moved back and Seungmin heard the rustle of clothes. "Did you find any new songs you like?" That's what Seungmin was supposed to be doing on Hyunjin's phone but he'd forgotten to actually pay attention enough to form an opinion. </p><p>“DAY6?” he havered.</p><p>Hyunjin snorted. “Yeah, no, we’ve covered that you love DAY6. I said anything <em>new.”</em></p><p>“DAY6 has a lot of songs!” Seungmin protested. Surely he’d not heard them all yet, though he’d had a lot of time to listen while Hyunjin was in lectures or working.</p><p>“Next time they have a concert I’ll try and get us tickets,” Hyunjin offered. “I’m dressed now,” he added. “You can stop being noble about it.”</p><p>“I wasn’t,” Seungmin argued, risking a glance in Hyunjin’s direction. He was dressed as promised and was starting to towel his dripping hair. “Doesn’t it bother you that I’m in your private space all the time?”</p><p>Hyunjin shook his head. “I like having you around. And there’s nothing to be embarrassed about when you’ve known me my whole life.” Seungmin personally thought that should give Hyunjin even more reason to be embarrassed but before he could say so they were interrupted by a muffled scream.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>“Honey?” Hyunjin called out worriedly because the scream was undoubtedly Jisung.</p><p>“Stubbed my toe,” Jisung groaned from his room. “Seungminnie~!”</p><p>“I am not kissing your foot!” Seungmin said quickly. You had to shut Jisung down quickly or the ideas he had only escalated.</p><p>“But I’m DYING!” Jisung protested dramatically. </p><p>“Good!”</p><p>“Go help him,” Hyunjin said, turning his soft eyes on Seungmin.</p><p>“He’s fine,” Seungmin protested. Unfortunately, Jisung took that moment to limp through the door and collapse against Hyunjin’s bed.</p><p>“Kiss it better,” he demanded, holding his, admittedly, very red, little toe up to Seungmin. Seungmin looked Hyunjin dead in the eyes to let him know this entire situation was his fault. Hyunjin appeared to feel no guilt.</p><p>“I’m not your angel,” Seungmin told Jisung dismissively.</p><p>“You had dinner with my new friend <em>without me,”</em> Jisung accused. He was very salty that they’d met Changbin and not immediately come and gotten him. Not that that would even have been an option.</p><p>“That was- Ok,<em> fine</em>.” Seungmin bent down and pressed his lips to the top of Jisung’s foot. “Happy? I’m going to go brush my teeth now.” </p><p>“Magic,” Jisung whispered in awe behind him as Seungmin left the room and Seungmin smiled to himself.</p><p>***</p><p>When Seungmin got back to Hyunjin’s room Jisung had fucked off again and Hyunjin was lying on his back in his bed, fluffy headband on, scrolling on his phone. When he saw Seungmin he put down his phone and held open his arms. </p><p>“Hug now.” It wasn’t a suggestion. Hyunjin had been determined over the last week to get Seungmin to relax via hug and though he claimed it was unsuccessful as of yet Seungmin felt he was getting better at it. He’d certainly found his favourite position- lying directly on top of Hyunjin.</p><p>“Don’t you need to sleep so you can get to the library early tomorrow?” Seungmin asked as he shut the door and turned off the light. The glow from his wings lit the room well enough to see by.</p><p>“Hug,” Hyunjin repeated. He’d thrown off his duvet in preparation too so Seungmin walked over and awkwardly lay down. It always felt strange at the start but Hyunjin claimed that was just because he was too tense.</p><p>“I feel stupid,” Seungmin mumbled, crossing his arms on Hyunjin’s chest to pillow his head.</p><p>“You say that every time,” Hyunjin complained.</p><p>“Because I feel stupid every time,” Seungmin replied. He unfolded his wings towards the ceiling to try to get rid of the antsy feeling under his skin.</p><p>“Watch the light,” Hyunjin warned, steadying the sides of Seungmin’s wings with his hands.</p><p>“‘m phased,” Seungmin replied. “Completely.” It was easier to do his whole body than just his wings and as long as he was lying on top Hyunjin he was fine.</p><p>“Creepy,” Hyunjin noted as Seungmin stretched his wings through the ceiling into the apartment above.</p><p>“Em, <em>angelic,</em> actually,” Seungmin corrected him and Hyunjin laughed so much Seungmin had to fold his wings again to stop himself falling. It had done the trick to relax him though and their legs were now comfortably slotted together. Hyunjin dropped his hands to their familiar resting place at the small of Seungmin’s back under his wings and sighed happily.</p><p>“You’re like a weighted blanket,” he commented. “But better.”</p><p>“Why, because I talk?” Seungmin asked jokingly. He stretched his arms forward, trailing his fingers through the sides of Hyunin’s hair and laid his head on Hyunjin’s chest. He could hear his heartbeat, slow and steady.</p><p>“Mmm,” Hyunjin answered sleepily. “And you’re warm, and safe. My angel, keeping me safe. Your wings are very bright though.” His words were slowing down and slurring so he was minutes from sleep.</p><p>“Close your eyes then,” Seungmin told him. “I’m going to wake you up at nine.”</p><p>“No,” Hyunjin mumbled grumpily.</p><p>“Yes,” Seungmin replied. “I’ll have coffee ready.” </p><p>Hyunjin didn’t answer so he must have fallen asleep. Seungmin did his best to stay still and be a good ‘weighted blanket but better’. He’d stay this way until Hyunjin’s hands fell off his waist and then he’d get up and cover Hyunjin with his blanket and go up to the roof to think and wait for Jeongin. Jeongin would no doubt have a lot to bitch about that night but Seungmin was confident he had the trump card with having to kiss Jisung’s foot. There was no way Jeongin had had to do anything that bad in his day.</p>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You’re still here?” Jeongin called down as he zoomed past the university library on his way to his next human in need. The sun was low in the sky and Seungmin had to squint to see him.</p><p>“He’s busy!” he called back. There wasn’t time for further explanation as Jeongin didn’t stop. They could communicate mentally but Jeongin actually had things to achieve today and he didn’t need Seungmin distracting him. Seungmin was so bored though. So fucking bored. He’d spent years doing exactly this- sitting on rooftops and waiting for Hyunjin to walk into danger -but now he’d had a taste of real life the roof was excruciatingly dull.</p><p>He shouldn’t bother Hyunjin. He shouldn’t. When he’d gone down to get him lunch Hyunin had been working really well and Seungmin interrupting him had taken him off task for an hour. He couldn’t do that again. </p><p>***</p><p>“Hi, I’m just here to watch. I’m so bored,” Seungmin announced, slipping into Hyunjin’s lap and putting the boy’s headphones back over his ears. “Keep working,” he ordered.</p><p>Hyunjin nuzzled his face against Seungmin’s neck and hugged him tight. “You missed me.”</p><p>“I was bored,” Seungmin corrected. <em>Bored without you,</em> the voice in his head corrected.</p><p>“Mmmhmmm,” Hyunjin hummed knowingly. “Missed you too.”</p><p>“Are you nearly done?” Seungmin asked. He’d agreed that Hyunjin could do an all-nighter if he had to but he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. The design had changed again at some time in the  mid-morning to a tulip bulb which allowed Hyunjin to use more of his original design and calculations. </p><p>“Maybe,” Hyunjin answered, scrolling through a document he was writing in. Seungmin saw images of bulbs with horizontal cracks in the outer skin next to sketches of windows wrapping around Hyunjin’s learning pod in a similar way. It looked very elegant to Seungmin and hopefully Hyunjin was satisfied with this idea finally.</p><p>“What do you have left to do?” Seungmin asked. It would be good to get Hyunjin out of the library for a while at dinnertime whether he’d finished or not but they could have dinner late if it meant Hyunjin’s project was complete. <em>Hyunjin</em> could have dinner late. Seungmin didn’t need to eat dinner.</p><p>“My write-up, mostly,” Hyunjin replied, hooking his chin over Seungmin’s shoulder. “Are your wings phased?” he asked quietly. The library was busy at this time and Hyunjin was surrounded by students on rolling chairs- feather manglers. If Seungmin didn’t phase his wings in here the studently wouldn’t likely notice but Seungmin would certainly face the consequences. Hyunjin was getting better at seeing the difference between Seungmin phased and not phased but it was very subtle and even Seungmin couldn’t tell with Jeongin sometimes.</p><p>“Yeah,” Seungmin said. “Can you see ok?” </p><p>“Don’t you dare move,” Hyunjin threatened him lowly. </p><p>“Ok, ok,” Seungmin laughed under his breath. “Keep working.” </p><p>Hyunjin typed <em>‘Seungminnie is the best angel EVER’</em> into his word document over and over in response until Seungmin reached out to take over the keyboard and delete it. </p><p>“Factually incorrect, unreferenced, and irrelevant to text,” Seungmin criticized the statement. “Don’t you have a word limit?” </p><p>Hyunjin just scrolled to the bottom of his work and added a ‘Thanks’ section with one entry- Hwang Seungmin.</p><p>“Since when have I been a Hwang?” Seungmin asked.</p><p>“Do you have a family name?” Hyunjin asked. “No? Then you’re getting mine.”</p><p>Seungmin deleted it from the page but it wouldn’t be leaving his mind any time soon. “Do your work or I’ll have to leave again.”</p><p>“Noo,” Hyunjin whined quietly, pressing his chin down hard on Seungmin’s shoulder to keep him there. “I’m working, I’m working.” He switched tab. “See? I was looking up the price of pvc for the expenses section.”</p><p>“Hmm,” Seungmin said non-committedly. It made no sense to him but that didn’t really matter. He leaned back against Hyunjin’s chest and just watched the words drift by in front of him, giving Hyunjin’s hand a light smack every time he opened twitter. </p><p>
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</p><p>An hour later Hyunjin’s workflow had stagnated. Seungmin wasn’t sure if he was thinking or just staring blankly at his screen.</p><p>“Jinnie?” Seungmin asked, tipping his head back to look at him. Hyunjin leaned away and covered his mouth to yawn.</p><p>“I need coffee.”</p><p>“You need a break,” Seungmin said. “Wanna go get dinner?”</p><p>“Are you paying?” Hyunjin joked.</p><p>“I would, but I’ve not had a paycheck in fifteen years.”</p><p>“Sounds rough,” Hyunjin commented.</p><p>“It has been, yeah,” Seungmin played along. “I’ve had to watch this idiot consistently try to open his building door with his front door key and his front door with his building key, even though the two keys are different colours and brands and match the door they open.”</p><p>Hyunjin made a choking noise as he tried to muffle a laugh.</p><p>“And sometimes,” Seungmin continued. “He’ll just press his university ID against the door handle and then walk into it and be surprised it didn’t open.”</p><p>“Ok, ok!” Hyunjin said, cupping his hand over Seungmin’s mouth. “I’ll pay for dinner. Just shhh.”</p><p>***</p><p>When they walked back to the library Hyunjin held Seungmin’s hand very tightly, almost as if he knew Seungmin’s plan to fly off. Unfortunately for him, he’d forgotten that only students of the university were allowed in the library.</p><p>“Go invisible then,” Hyunjin said when Seungmin brought this up. “You’re not going to the roof. I’ll be finished really quickly.”</p><p>“I think someone might notice if I just ‘go invisible’,” Seungmin pointed out. “I need to go find a stairwell or an alley or something.”</p><p>“Ok,” Hyunjin said, looking around as they entered the campus. It wasn’t too busy since it was Saturday night but students were still wandering around on their way to various events. “Alleyway obtained,” he suddenly announced and dragged Seungmin to the left. It was a back path between two buildings, dark and hidden from view. Seungmin stumbled into Hyunjin’s arms and only just managed to stop them both tripping and going backwards into a brick wall.</p><p>“Hyunjin!” he exclaimed, clinging tightly to Hyunjin’s hoodie while his wings shot out for balance. “Just walk.”</p><p>“Are you invisible yet?” Hyunjin asked impatiently. “Do it, hurry.”</p><p>Before Seungmin could, a giggling group of girls rounded the corner on wobbly heels and cut through the alley shortcut. Seungmin didn’t have a chance to move but he did have a clear view of Hyunjin’s face and the horror that crossed it as the girls squeezed past them.</p><p>“They went straight through your wings,” Hyunjin whispered in disgusted awe.</p><p>“Yep,” Seungmin said, shivering the sensation away and folding his wings against his back again. “I’ve got to say, going through walls is much nicer than people.” He glanced warily in both directions but the coast was clear so he went fully invisible and phased. Just to freak Hyunjin out more he stuck his arm through the wall beside them. “Tada. Invisible now.”</p><p>Hyunjin made a face of disgust and pulled Seungmin’s arm back, threading their fingers together. “Stop that.” He put their joined hands in the pocket of his hoodie as if Seungmin didn’t have another hand and was perfectly capable of doing the same thing again.</p><p>“You should just let me meet you inside,” Seungmin suggested. “This is only going to get worse.”</p><p>
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</p><p>And it did, because while Hyunjin scanned his card and walked through the individual security barrier, Seungmin walked <em>through</em> the barrier. Hyunjin flinched and closed his eyes so Seungmin had to drag him away from the electronic doors before they closed on his face.</p><p>“Keep walking,” Seungmin scolded him. “And don’t talk back to me!” he added as Hyunjin opened his mouth to protest. Hyunjin pouted unhappily and Seungmin immediately felt sorry for him. He guided Hyunjin to a pillar and freed his hand. “Wait here. When I come back I’ll be visible,” he explained. He kissed Hyunjin on the temple because he looked like he needed it and fled to the nearest bathroom.</p><p>The bathroom was empty so he only had to become visible and tangible again and walk back out to collect Hyunjin and head back to the computer cluster Hyunjin had been at before. At the later hour, the library was much less populated so Seungmin took a chair for himself and careened it into Hyunjin’s to see his screen. They fought for the best position for a moment until Hyunjin just pulled Seungmin into his lap. So much for having his own chair.</p><p>“One hour,” Hyunjin said, setting up a timer. “If I’m not done by then we’re going home anyway. I’m starting to hate everything about this.”</p><p>“Can I help at all?” Seungmin asked. He’d been kind of useless all day.</p><p>“Buy me coffee?”</p><p>“You’ve had enough coffee. Anything else?”</p><p>“Mmmm,” Hyunjin deliberated as he fixed the grammar on a section he’d worked on before his break. He took his card from the back of his phone. “Go raid the vending machine for snacks.”</p><p>“What..?” Hyunjin’s request was too vague for an angel that had never been briefed on vending machines.</p><p>Hyunjin grinned at him and swivelled them around. “The machines are behind the stairwell,” he said, pointing. “Bring me back two snacks. You can work it out, you’re a smart cookie.” He tipped Seungmin out of his lap to standing.</p><p>“Jinnie..” Seungmin said hesitantly. He’d never used a credit card before. Hyunjin took it from his hand and turned it around before placing it back in his grip.</p><p>“You can do it,” he encouraged. “One snack must have chocolate.” And with that he turned back to his desk and put on his headphones. Seungmin gripped the plastic card tight and shuffled forward, scanning the massive space for any sign for the machines or a stairwell.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. Chapter 28</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin set the snacks and Hyunjin’s card down carefully by Hyunjin’s phone on the desk and promptly threw a leg over Hyunjin and crawled into his lap to hide in Hyunjin’s hoodie.</p><p>“Aww, <em>Angel,” </em>Hyunjin laughed, bringing his arms up to encircle Seungmin. “What happened?”</p><p>A lot. A lot had happened and it had all been very stressful. “I don’t like vending machines,” Seungmin grumbled. “It didn’t want your card and then I put it in the other slot and it <em>ate</em> it and wouldn’t give it back. And then I got a snack and it <em>did</em> give it back but then it wouldn’t let me put the card back in to get another snack. And then the crisps got stuck and I had to use a miracle to get them out and-” Seungmin finished with a world-weary sigh. That was most of it but he could certainly complain more if prompted.</p><p>Hyunjin tilted Seungmin face up with a finger under his chin. “You used a miracle to buy me crisps?” he asked, smiling in amusement. “That’s adorable. What flavour are they?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Seungmin whined, shrinking in embarrassment. “I couldn’t see the label.” Hyunjin bit his lip to hold in his laugh and his hand pressed firmer against Seungmin’s back as he scooted them closer to the desk. He snagged the crisp packet and held it up for examination.</p><p>“Banana,” he announced. “Do you remember banana?”</p><p>“I like banana,” Seungmin was pleased to admit. He’d had some of one that Hyunjin ate for breakfast a couple of days ago.</p><p>“Ok,” Hyunjin said. “Now forget what that was like entirely,” he popped open the bag, “and try this.” Seungmin took a crisp and crunched it thoughtfully. It wasn’t really like banana at all. It kind of melted, in fact, and tasted sweeter than he thought they should be. Hyunjin raised an eyebrow and Seungmin shrugged, taking another one. They might not be banana but they were still good.</p><p>“Success?” Hyunjin asked with his mouth full, reaching for more.</p><p>“Success,” Seungmin confirmed, more pleased that his (the vending machine’s) choice was going down well with Hyunjin. “Do you want to see if the chocolate option is as good?”</p><p>“Yes!!” Hyunjin said, eyes going wide with excitement. “Chocolate can never go wrong.”</p><p>
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</p><p>As it turned out, chocolate could go wrong… when there were raisins in it.</p><p>“I appreciate the trauma you went through to get me this,” Hyunjin started, struggling to keep his face straight as Seungmin pouted, “but I will not eat chocolate contaminated by raisins.”</p><p>“Chocolate <em>improved</em> by raisins,” Seungmin countered. </p><p>“No.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Seungmin thought the chocolate contaminated with raisins was alright.  It was also fun to watch the pained look on Hyunjin’s face as he ate it while Hyunjin went back to work.</p><p>“How are you not finished that yet?” Hyunjin complained under his breath as he spared a glance at Seungmin. “It was a single serving bar.”</p><p>“I’m savouring this new human experience,” Seungmin told him. “Also, I don’t want to choke on raisins.”</p><p>“Yes, please don’t,” Hyunjin said. “I don’t have a bin here for you to spit into.”</p><p>“Blegh.” Seungmin faked throwing up onto Hyunjin’s shoulder. </p><p>Hyunjin bounced his knees to jostle Seungmin in response. “You’re lucky you’re cute,” he said wryly.</p><p>“Specially for you,” Seungmin joked, since his physical appearance was tailored to blend in with Hyunjin’s surroundings, or at least that’s what he had been told. Essentially- he looked Korean.</p><p>“Specially for me,” Hyunjin agreed. He was silent for a moment apart from the click of the keys on his keyboard. “Does that mean Jeongin is cute specially for the people of Seoul?”</p><p>Seungmin laughed. “Must be. I’ll ask him.”</p><p>
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</p><p><em>‘Yah! Innie!’ </em>Seungmin yelled mentally in the direction of his friend. Hyunjin went back to making up numbers for his expenses with one hand and drumming rhythms on Seungmin’s hipbone with the other.</p><p>‘<em>What,’ </em>Jeongin replied grumpily. His day must have taken a turn for the worse since Seungmin last saw him. It was risky but Seungmin continued.</p><p>‘<em>Hyunjinnie and I would like to know if you were made this cute specially for the people of Seoul? Or was it an innate cuteness that even cultural preferences could not overwrite?’ </em></p><p>Seungmin could sense the seething coming from Jeongin and he was a little proud.</p><p><em>‘Ah, you don’t know?’</em> Seungmin continued. ‘<em>Ok, I’ll ask Chan.’</em></p><p><em>‘DO NOT’ </em>Jeongin immediately replied but Seungmin ignored him.</p><p>
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</p><p>‘<em>Hi-Chan-this-is-not-an-emergency-I-just-wanted-to-make-you-smile,’ </em>Seungmin rattled off very quickly when he finally managed to pinpoint Chan darting about the commercial district.</p><p>‘<em>Seungminnie!’</em> Chan answered cheerfully. ‘<em>How are you?’</em></p><p><em>‘Great,’ </em>Seungmin answered honestly. ‘<em>I’ve found Jisung and Changbin and they both know Hyunjin now so it’s only a matter of time before..It was friends you wanted them to be, right?’</em></p><p>Chan laughed. <em>‘Yeah. Friends was all I asked. Brilliant work, Minnie. I knew you could do it. I think they will really be able to help each other.’</em></p><p><em>‘Sure,’</em> Seungmin said. He wasn’t entirely confident on that front but he trusted Chan enough to carry out the plan anyway. ‘<em>The other thing- is Innie made this cute specially for the people of Seoul? Or was it an innate cuteness that even cultural preferences could not overwrite?’</em></p><p>Chan squealed. Actually squealed. Right inside Seungmin’s brain. <em>‘A brilliant question. I will ruminate and get back to you on that. Have a good night, Minnie! I’ll try and see you on Monday.’</em></p><p><em>‘Have a good night!’ </em>Seungmin echoed but he wasn’t sure if Chan got the message- communicating like that was intensely difficult to do.</p><p>
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</p><p>“Jeongin wouldn’t answer the question,” Seungin informed Hyunjin. “Also, he might avoid me tonight just for that. Chan got very excited though and he said he’d get back to me on that.”</p><p>“Your little angel mind meld thing is so cool,” Hyunjin said. “I wish I could-”</p><p>“Do not finish that sentence,” Seungmin told him firmly, putting a finger to Hyunjin’s lips. He made eye contact and stared at Hyunjin seriously. “Nuh-uh. Don’t even think it.”</p><p>Hyunjin stuck out his tongue and licked Seungmin’s finger. “Too late.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So I've been posting a chapter of this every night the last three nights. I start work tomorrow so I can't guarantee that will continue but I think I can keep going on this one at least every second night.</p><p>Would you be ok with that and leaving my other fics on stand-by for a little bit while I speed through this?<br/>Or I can post maybe twice a week but try and do the fics more evenly?</p><p>Basically its easier to keep going with a plot I'm already doing but I feel bad leaving the others on hold. I don't think any of them are at a cliffhanger though so that might affect people's opinions</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0029"><h2>29. Chapter 29</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So based on the feedback last chapter I'm going to focus on this fic until its done. (no, I have no idea when that will be)</p><p>Ive just started a new job and its going really well but I now work early so I cant stay up late writing like I used to. It might be a little while until I find a good rhythm. Likely, this is the latest time BST I will be posting now</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Stop it," Seungmin said warningly for what must have been the tenth time that night.</p><p>"I'm not doing anything," Hyunjin replied innocently.</p><p>"And it will stay that way," Seungmin told him. Hyunjin wasn't <em>doing</em> anything but he was certainly <em>trying</em> to speak in Seungmin's mind. Strange exemptions to angel camouflage was one thing, but entirely non-human abilities was a whole new level of skills that Seungmin didn't was Hyunjin to have. </p><p>"We'll see," Hyunjin said with a smile. There was a TV programme playing in front of them but Hyunjin had seen it at least twice so he was paying more attention to Seungmin and Seungmin couldn't concentrate on anything with Hyunjin looking at him like that. </p><p>Jisung was curled up on the couch opposite them but he wasn't participating in the conversation or the TV show- being in the same room as them was the extent of social interaction he was committing to that day. He’d been mostly silent, entertaining himself, but now he let out a particularly menacing giggle.</p><p>“Share with the class, Sungie,” Hyunjin said dryly.</p><p>“I will,” Jisung replied ominously. “In three to five business days.”</p><p>"It better not be another giant duck," Hyunjin threatened. It took a second for Seungmin to realise that Hyunjin could curse and so when he said duck he actually meant <em>duck.</em> He turned to Hyunjin and blinked at him for information. </p><p>"Jisungie has bought something online," Hyunjin explained kindly.</p><p>"Two somethings!" Jisung interjected gleefully.</p><p>"Jisungie has bought two somethings online," Hyunjin continued, "and I am a little concerned because the last time he made a noise like that after a purchase an inflatable duck filled the middle of this room for weeks."</p><p>"Ah," Seungmin said. "That duck." He remembered it well.</p><p>"That duck," Hyunjin agreed. "Wow, you've really seen a lot of shit, huh?"  </p><p>Oh<em>, now</em> he got it. "You have no idea," Seungmin said. He could elaborate but Hyunjin would be more on edge if he didn't, so he didn’t.</p><p>"That duck was excellent," Jisung sat up to protest. “The most majestic steed to grace these halls."</p><p>"You bounced off the doorframe and knocked yourself out," Seungmin reminded him. </p><p>"Yeeeeah," Jisung admitted relunctantly. "But I was only unconscious for like a second, right, Jinnie?"</p><p>Hyunjin chose not to answer that and Seungmin smiled smugly. Jisung needed to learn that Seungmin was the authority on accidents and injuries here.</p><p>"Some friend you are," Jisung grumbled good-naturedly to Hyunjin. "You've known Angelface a week and now you won't even lie for me."</p><p>"Seungminnie was there," Hyunjin protested. "Lying to him won't work. I will still happily lie for you to anybody else."</p><p>"Even Minho-hyung?" Jisung asked.</p><p>"Even Minho-hyung," Hyunjin confirmed and Jisung nodded, content, and wriggled himself back into a comfortable lying position to return his attention to his phone.</p><p>
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</p><p>“Do you mind if you play music, Jisungie?” Hyunjin asked. “I’m trying to expand Seungmin’s taste beyond DAY6.”</p><p>“DAY6 is <em>good,</em>” Seungmin defended his favourite band.</p><p>“And I’m not denying that,” Hyunjin told him with an amused smile. “But you need to expand your library.”</p><p>“I was <em>born </em>for this very purpose!” Jisung announced, still in the fetal position, wrapped in a blanket. “Angelface, prepare to have your mind <em>blown!”</em> Seungmin was instantly concerned.</p><p>“Do I have to?” Seungmin asked. </p><p>Hyunjin tipped himself to the side and laid his head down in Seungmin’s lap, trapping him there with his big brown eyes and smiling lips. “Yes. Don’t worry, Sungie’s music taste is excellent.”</p><p>
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</p><p>It took a few songs for Jisung's choices to entice Seungmin but when he found a song Seungmin liked, Hyunjin knew instantly.</p><p>"Oh, you like this one?" he asked, reaching up to squeeze Seungmin's leg that Seungmin hadn't realised he was twitching to the beat. "Wanna dance, Minnie? I know the choreography."</p><p>Seungmin did not want to dance and make a fool out of himself but Hyunjin pulled him up anyway. He was clumsy, late on every beat, and he couldn't shift his weight across his feet well but Hyunjin was delighted and more than enthusiastic about Seungmin's attempts. Jisung was pulled up to dance as well and he was clumsy too so they ganged up to mock Hyunjin's performance and soon they were all laughing.</p><p>"I, can't, breathe," Jisung gasped through giggles, squatting on the floor. Hyunjin had collapsed too and was sprawled against the couch. Seungmin hadn't realised he was so hilarious.</p><p>“Minnie, I love you so much,” Hyunjin said deliriously with tears of laughter in his eyes. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding from me my whole life. Never leave me.”</p><p>“I won’t,” Seungmin promised, sitting down next to him and resting his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder. Dancing and laughing at the same time was a real workout. “Not at least until you save the world.”</p><p>“I’m not going to save the world,” Hyunjin scoffed.</p><p>
“Then I’ll never leave,” Seungmin said simply. He hoped it would be like that, that Hyunjin’s defining moment was in the past and they could continue to live like this. But if Hyunjin had an imminent higher purpose Seungmin would just have to accept that one day Hyunjin’s attention would have more deserving occupants than him. He could fade into the background then, once his job was done.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0030"><h2>30. Chapter 30</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tbh this chapter is kinda meh. i feel i could have done this conversation better justice so i might come back and rework it later</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin had been asleep for about an hour when there was shuffling outside his door. The shuffling stopped and it opened silently for Jisung's head to appear.</p><p>"Hi," Seungmin greeted him quietly from Hyunjin's desk chair. He wasn't hiding his wings so Jisung would also see the glow they bathed him in. "Hyunjin's asleep."</p><p>"No, that's- I wanted to speak to you. If that's ok?" Jisung looked nervous for some reason so Seungmin quickly agreed and followed him back to his own room.</p><p>Jisung's room was appallingly messy. Seungmin barely got one step over the doorway and he'd run out of floor to stand on. Clothes were the biggest culprit, but there were also notebooks, pens, snack wrappers, shoes, bags, books and even jewellery hiding the laminate from view. It seemed like Jisung's entire existence was on that floor, apart from his precious red headphones which had been graced with a spot on his desk.</p><p>"Just stand on my clothes," Jisung offered from his bed across the room. The bed wasn't much better but at least there was a person-shaped whole in the shit strewn everywhere. "Or jump," Jisung said when Seungmin still didn't move. Jisung had flung himself across the room to reach his destination but Seungmin wasn't sure he'd qualify that as a 'jump', or indeed a safe life practice at all. Maybe Seungmin should start keeping an eye on Jisung too.</p><p>Disliking both options provided to him, Seungmin took a third. He phased his wings and spread them through the walls to jump up and glide over Jisung's shit. He landed lightly on the bed beside Jisung and folded himself back to sitting. Jisung had leaned back and was staring at him in shock and perhaps horror. Seungmin had forgotten <em>again</em> that not every human adjusted to an angelic presence as quickly as Hyunjin.</p><p>"What did you want to talk about?" Seungmin asked lightly, not wanting to scare Jisung further.</p><p>"Um. Well." Jisung combed his hair down over his forehead nervously and then fiddled with his hands in his lap. "It's about Hyunjin. You. Hyunjin and you. I-" Jisung winced. "Please don't get offended?"</p><p>"I won't," Seungmin said, amused. He couldn't think of anything Jisung could say that would offend him. </p><p>"Ok. Well," Jisung sighed in defeat as the right words evaded him. "Hyunjinnie is very trusting," he started. "And he's fallen for you a little, I think. You're closer to him than I am at this point-"</p><p>"Sorry," Seungmin interjected. He hadn’t intended to take over Jisung’s position in Hyunjin’s life.</p><p>"No, no, it's ok," Jisung dismissed him. "I get that it's different and it's not like you're excluding me. Just... this isn't <em>just</em> a job to you, right?” He paused and searched Seungmin’s face for answers. “Because if you're only playing along to make it easier until your work is done then you're going to break his heart, and I can't let you do that."</p><p>"It's not that," Seungmin said quickly, his heart racing at the mere thought of it. "I wouldn't-" Seungmin grimaced as he realised what he was about to say was a lie. "I wouldn't <em>intentionally</em> hurt Hyunjin like that, <em>ever.</em> And I hope I never have to leave him. I hope I'm the one to suffer the pain of losing him one day and not him me-"</p><p>"But you can't promise it," Jisung said knowingly, with a sad smile. He nodded to himself, like he’d expected it. He was far more perceptive than Hyunjin in that way, always able to read the lines between what someone said and what they meant. "Is it likely to happen? You getting called away?"</p><p>"I don't know," Seungmin said. It felt a relief to finally be talking to someone about it, properly. "I don't know another angel like me and I was never told <em>why</em> Hyunjin was important enough for extra protection. He needs it, for sure, but so do a lot of people that have to struggle through by themselves so I can only imagine there is something in his future he's being 'saved' for. And Chan and Innie and Felix and everyone else are so overwhelmed every day that I don’t think I'll be left to hang around with Jinnie once he's done whatever it is he's supposed to. I'll likely get recommissioned as a district angel somewhere."</p><p>"In Seoul?" Jisung asked hopefully.</p><p>Seungmin shrugged. "It could be anywhere. I probably won't have my memories or even the same body," he admitted bitterly. "None of us remember before this post, not even Chan. The population is rising in Africa, perhaps it will be there."</p><p>"I'd miss you," Jisung said, reaching out to squeeze Seungmin’s hand. The night was making them honest and there wasn't much else joyful to say.</p><p>"I'd miss you too," Seungmin replied, though he may be deprived of that privilege when it came to it. He squeezed Jisung’s hand back. "You'll need to become a famous philosopher so I can hear about you wherever I am."</p><p>Jisung snorted. "As if that's possible. If I'm lucky I'll be a writer of some sort. Or a TV presenter maybe. You'd have a chance to see me then, if I was on the news."</p><p>"You'd be good at reading the news," Seungmin mused. "The nation would get twice as much news in the same time slot but it would be entertaining."</p><p>Jisung laughed. "That's efficiency, baby! I could get all the boring news out of the way and then give song recommendations in the extra time. A good playlist can make or break your day."</p><p>"Make me one for tomorrow then," Seungmin suggested. "I don't know what Jinnie is planning but it was boring as duck today. I'm going to steal his phone if he's working again."</p><p>“He’s done enough work,” Jisung said, leaning back against his pillows and the clothes pike on top of them. “We should go out and broaden your horizons, teach you how a parking meter works or something.”</p><p>Seungmin glared at him half-heartedly. "Neither you nor Jinnie have need for a parking meter, you can't drive."</p><p>"But we know how they work," Jisung countered. "It's a vital human experience you need to not draw suspicion as Jinnie's boyfriend."</p><p>"Parking meters?" Seungmin said sceptically. "Surely there are bigger red flags than that."</p><p>"Like what?" Jisung said with a confident tilt of his chin.</p><p>Seungmin was stuck there. His encounter with the subway came to mind but that wasn’t exactly something he could fix. He’d learnt how to eat and drink and sit down. He could navigate Hyunjin’s phone without too much difficulty and he could even manage a half-decent hug. What other universal experiences were there left to learn? -besides being born, ageing, and dying, which he was exempt from.</p><p>Jisung laughed as Seungmin frowned in deep thought. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, lighting hitting Seungmin’s shoulder to bring him back to the present. “I can guarantee one thing you weren’t taught in Angel School- cultural references.” He patted the pillow next to him for Seungmin to come and sit next to him.</p><p>“Is this memes?” Seungmin asked, crawling over to his spot. He’d been shown memes before by Hyunjin and Jisung but not all of them made sense to him.</p><p>“‘Is it memes?’” Jisung echoed him. “Damn, Angelface, don’t sound so glum. Memes are an essential part of the twenty-first century man’s vocabulary.”</p><p>Seungmin wasn’t convinced and it must have shown on his face.</p><p>“If I show you the DAY6 memes first will you let me show you other ones afterwards?” Jisung bargained.</p><p>“There are DAY6 memes?!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0031"><h2>31. Chapter 31</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They both flinched when Jeongin flew through the window hours later.</p><p>"What the duck, Jisung- go to sleep!" Jeongin scolded. "It's five in the morning. It's <em>light</em> outside."</p><p>Jisung leaned around Seungmin and moved his curtains to see. "Oh."</p><p>"Oh," Jeongin echoed sarcastically, taking the laptop off of him and shutting it. "And <em>you</em> should know better," he told Seungmin, pulling him out of the bed. "All my hard work giving him a sleep schedule and you've gone and ruined it in one night."</p><p>"There are DAY6 memes," Seungmin offered innocently.</p><p>"What the duck is a DAY6?" </p><p>"Oooh, you did not just go there," Jisung said gleefully. He'd lain down and pulled his duvet up to his chin to watch in rapture as they argued.</p><p>"DAY6 is my favourite band," Seungmin said loftily.</p><p>"What's wrong with you?" Jeongin said judgmentally. He disapproved of Seungmin's increasing human tendencies and he was not afraid to make his opinion known. "Is Disaster Boy not running into enough walls these days?"</p><p>"Hyunjinnie <em>is</em> running into less walls," Seungmin noted happily. "I'm teaching him to look where he's going."</p><p>Jeongin rolled his eyes. "I'm so happy for you both." He tugged Seungmin's sleeve. "Come on- let's go to the roof and let Jisung sleep."</p><p>"Noo," Jisung whined. "Stay. I miss you, Jeonginnie, and you only visit when I'm sleeping."</p><p>“Shut up and sleep,” Jeongin replied firmly but Seungmin saw the blush rising on his cheeks from the profession. “You’re not supposed to know about me in the first place.”</p><p>“But I doooo,” Jisung mumbled sleepily, closing his eyes. “And I missssss you.”</p><p>“Idiot,” Jeongin mumbled fondly once Jisung was too out of it to hear. He turned to Seungmin and jerked his head to the ceiling as he opened his wings. Seungmin followed him to the roof.</p><p>
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</p><p>The rooftop would have been cold if that was a kind of thing that bothered angels. It wasn’t though so they were content to stand in the cool breeze and stare out across the city. </p><p>“Are you ok, Innie?” Seungmin asked gently. “Bad day?”</p><p>Jeongin sighed wearily. “It was fine. Normal.”
</p><p>“You seem down,” Seungmin pressed, reached out to start smoothing Jeongin’s feathers. They were in a complete mess tonight and it would take him possibly longer than they had to fix them.</p><p>“I-” Jeongin sighed again. “Don’t feel guilty?” That didn’t bode well.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Seungmin said automatically.</p><p>Jeongin rolled his eyes and opened his left wing to give Seungmin better access to his feathers for grooming. “What did I literally <em>just say?</em>”</p><p>“Don’t feel guilty?” Seungmin squeaked, bracing for impact. Jeongin wasn’t above pushing him off the room and he knew it- Jeongin had done it before. “I won’t, I won’t! I promise.” It was an empty promise because guilt wasn’t something he could control but it was enough to get Jeongin to talk.</p><p>“I kind of miss being here,” Jeongin said, staring at his shoes. “I know I shouldn’t because I am doing God’s work and helping so many people that really need me but they have no idea it was me. Nobody says I’ve done a good job or ‘thank you’ beside Chan- and I know I shouldn’t need that to feel valuable!- but it was nice… Hyunjin and Jisung..” He trailed off.</p><p>“Showing you what it’s like to be human?” Seungmin finished for him wistfully. “Yeah. It’s really nice.” He thought back through his own day. The boys had been so enthusiastic to show him new things and to include him in their inside jokes (even though he knew about most of them already). Despite the added stress from being visible and Hyunjin’s new-found skill he wouldn’t want to go back to his old life alone on the rooftops. And he didn’t want that for Jeongin either.</p><p>“I don’t want hugs though,” Jeongin said quickly. “Or kisses.”</p><p>“Ah.” Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh at that. “You’ve gotten to know the wrong humans then,” he said. “I’m forced into mandatory cuddles at least once a day.”</p><p>“Oh yeah, and you definitely <em>hate</em> that,” Jeongin said sarcastically. He opened his other wing and got to work straightening out his inner feathers himself. It reminded Seungmin how little time Jeongin got to relax. It was just after 5am on a Sunday morning but the youngest humans in the neighbourhood would start waking soon and would get up to all sorts of dangerous mischief while their parents were asleep. He redoubled his effort to groom Jeongin’s wings. If his friend had a long lonely day ahead of him he could at least spend it with clean, neat wings to fly on.</p><p>“Cuddles are ok,” Seungmin admitted. He’d come to enjoy them, even if he couldn’t relax to Hyunjin’s standards. And even if he didn’t like it to with be worth enduring it for Hyunjin’s warm smile and the way his eyes stared straight into Seungmin’s soul afterwards. He’d gone so many years watching Hyunjin smile at other people but he hadn’t realised how potent it was when it was directed at you.</p><p>“Ya!” Jeongin said, jolting Seungmin out of his daydream. “Stop thinking about Disaster Boy! I’m being vulnerable here.”</p><p>“I’m not thinking about Hyunjin!” Seungmin lied.</p><p>Jeongin’s mouth formed an unimpressed straight line. He looked pointedly down to Seungmin’s chest. “Your hoodie says otherwise.”</p><p>Seungmin glanced down to find that his familiar sky blue hoodie was now brown, and not just any brown- the shade Hyunjin’s eyes went when the sunlight hit them just right. Oh no.</p><p>“It’s not-” he started hurriedly.</p><p>“Don’t lie to me, Minnie,” Jeongin cut him off. “I’ve known you for years and you are so gone on that boy. What is it? His hair’s too dark for that, right?”</p><p>“His eyes,” Seungmin said, ashamed, “in the sunlight.” Jeongin shook his head in resigned disapproval.</p><p>“At least it’s not his lips,” he said grudgingly. “Can we focus back on me now?”</p><p>***</p><p>Seungmin did his best to make the rest of their precious time together about Jeongin but he couldn’t help his gaze lingering on the cuffs of his sleeves as he smoothed the barbs of Jeongin’s feathers back together. Brown might be considered a boring colour to wear every day in comparison to the blue blue he used to have or the pink Jeongin wore or the red Felix currently had but Seungmin already liked the reminder it gave him. He was Hyunjin’s angel so it seemed only right that he wore Hyunjin’s colour, even if it was nothing on the real thing.</p><p>“I’ve got to go,” Jeongin said reluctantly not even an hour later. He was able to sense humans in need all across the district the same way Seungmin was fine-tuned to Hyunjin and there must be more and more waking up now.</p><p>“Give me one minute,” Seungmin said, focusing on straightening as many feathers as possible in his remaining time. “Did you fly through a bush to end up in such a state?”</p><p>“Worse,” Jeongin grumbled. “Walls.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>poor jeongin thirdwheeling to seungmin and his thoughts</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0032"><h2>32. Chapter 32</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Seungmin in the BUILDING!" Seungmin whispered to himself as he landed in Hyunjin's bedroom after having said goodbye to Jeongin on the roof. He felt cool for a second until Hyunjin rolled over with a groan and embarrassment washed over him. He kept forgetting that Hyunjin could see and hear him now, regardless of phasing, and he couldn't just wander around, giving a running commentary.</p><p>"Seungmin?" Hyunjin asked roughly.</p><p>"Go back to sleep, Hyunjin," Seungmin told him gently. Sometimes Hyunjin sleep-talked and sometimes he genuinely woke up but he was normally pretty pliant and drifted off again quickly. This time Seungmin wasn't so lucky.</p><p>"What' you do'n?" Hyunjin asked, blinking his eyes open slowly. He immediately found Seungmin in the centre of the room by the glow of his wings and stared at him in a daze.</p><p>"Go back to sleep," Seungmin repeated. </p><p>"I'm thirsty," Hyunjin said. The glass on his bedside table was empty because he always forgot to fill it before bed.</p><p>"I'll get you water," Seungmin offered and took the glass to the kitchen to rinse it and fill it with fresh cold water. When he got back to the bedroom he made Hyunjin sit up before he drank it.</p><p>"You'll choke or spill it all over your bedding if you drink lying down," Seungmin warned Hyunjin. Even with Hyunjin sitting up he still hovered over him ready to catch or steady the glass if it slipped. Hyunjin finished his drink without incident though and handed it over for Seungmin to set the glass back on it's coaster.</p><p>"Your hoodie is brown," he noted, sounding much more awake. "Kind of a weird favourite colour." Of course he would remember that it reflected an angel's favourite colour. </p><p>Seungmin shrugged dismissively and hoped Hyunjin wouldn't press any further. "Are you going back to sleep now?"</p><p>"Come cuddle," Hyunjin said, holding his duvet open in invitation.</p><p>"I did that already," Seungmin answered and Hyunjin pouted at him.</p><p>"You're being very rude, Seungminnie."</p><p>"You're being very awake for six am," Seungmin retorted, crossing his arms. "Are you done sleeping? Do you want to get up and go for a run with the extra time?" He was being a little mean. Hyunjin hated running, even when he was already up and alert.</p><p>Hyunjin whined and sunk back down to curl up on his side and tuck his duvet around him. "Not running."</p><p>"Sleeping?" Seungmin checked. Hyunjin had rejected running but that didn't mean he'd sleep for a few more hours. Seungmin shouldn't have talked to him- that always woke Hyunjin up. </p><p>"Cuddles," Hyunjin tried again. "Sunday mornings are made for cuddles." He lifted his duvet by hinging his topmost arm and leg up like a clam. "I'm comfy like this so no sandwich cuddles. Can you lie on your side this time? It won't break your feathers to do it once, will it?"</p><p>"Five minutes," Seungmin said, setting a boundary they both knew he wouldn't stick to. He crawled in next to Hyunjin and Hyunjin helped smooth his feathers down as he lay on his wing so they weren't bent the wrong way. Seungmin was so focused on making sure his wing was in a good position that he'd zoned out the other things Hyunjin was doing and when he relaxed he realised Hyunjin had pushed his knee between Seungmin's thighs and his arm under Seungmin's neck.</p><p>Seungmin looked up to meet Hyunjin's bashful gaze. "This is most comfortable," Hyunjin said. "Trust me."</p><p>"I do," Seungmin replied easily.  "Your arm is nice and soft." </p><p>Hyunjin flexed his bicep to jostle Seungmin's head a little for the implication. "You know what's not soft? Your jeans." He wriggled his leg to emphasise his point. "Nobody wears jeans to bed. They're so uncomfortable. You should be wearing sweatpants at lea-"</p><p>
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</p><p>Hyunjin had barely even finished his thought and Seungmin was suddenly aware of an extraordinarily<em> soft</em> sensation on his legs, as if they weren't touching anything at all. Hyunjin froze and then a smug grin grew across his face.</p><p>"<em>Hyunjin," </em>Seungmin said, at a loss for words. He would be panicking but shit like this was starting to become the norm with Hyunjin lately.</p><p>"Yes, Angel," Hyunjin replied, slipping his free hand under Seungmin's top wing to rub soothing lines up and down his ribs.</p><p>"You changed my clothes."</p><p>“It was probably just coincidence,” Hyunjin lied. “And now you are more comfy for cuddles- it’s a good thing!”</p><p>“I am very stressed,” Seungmin admitted readily, closing his eyes to try and adjust to a new normal, <em>again</em>. Every time he looked Hyunjin in the eyes he was reminded that Hyunjin wasn’t the only person causing problems around here and he hadn’t even had time to process <em>that</em> yet.</p><p>Hyunjin’s arm shifted as he leaned down and pressed his lips to the skin between Seungmin’s furrowed eyebrows. “Kissed it better,” he joked with a breathy laugh. Seungmin found himself laughing too at the craziness of it all.</p><p>“Thanks, Hyunjinnie.” The sun was now rising over the neighbouring buildings and streaming in through Hyunjin’s half-open blinds to hit at just the right angle. Seungmin shrugged his hand into his sleeve and held the cuff to bring it to rest on Hyunjin’s cheekbone. The colour of his hoodie had none of the life in Hyunjin’s eyes but it was pretty close otherwise. Hyunjin stayed perfectly still as he compared the two, watching Seungmin’s face with a look of utter adoration. Seungmin had noticed that look before but he’d dismissed it as amazement at his angelic powers. Seungmin wasn’t doing anything angelic now though and he was pretty sure he was looking at Hyunjin in exactly the same way. </p><p>“It’s your eyes,” Seungmin said, letting go of his cuff to cup Hyunjin’s cheek. “My new favourite colour is your eyes in the sunlight.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>oho its getting really gay now lads</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0033"><h2>33. Chapter 33</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this fic unfortunately has the common ao3 bug of not setting the new chapter's publication date to the current date so the last couple of chapters havent been in the recent updates page. hopefully if you read this through subscription youve seen the updates. otherwise you might want to go back and check what you last read as the last couple of chapters lead into this one in one evening</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Can I kiss you?" Hyunjin asked. "Properly. " He could read Seungmin's expressions better than anyone so Seungmin was sure Hyunjin could see his willingness in his face but instead of moving forward to kiss him, Hyunjin immediately frowned and leaned back a little. "Actually- no, not yet. Morning breath."</p><p>"So you're just gonna offer to kiss me and then leave me in suspense?" Seungmin asked, pulling on Hyunjin's ear. He surprised himself with how calm he felt at the idea of kissing Hyunjin. If it was anybody else he would have scoffed at the bizarre human behaviour and turned them down but when Hyunjin suggested Seungmin tried something he was always open to the new experience. Hyunjin rarely led him wrong.</p><p>"You won't like it now," Hyunjin told him, twisting away from Seungmin's attack on his ear and batting his hand away. "You're a mint fanatic and my mouth tastes horrible right now. Later. I promise."</p><p>Seungmin pretended to sulk but he was too giddy to really pull it off. Hyunjin laughed at him.</p><p>"You don't even know what you're missing."</p><p>"I have <em>eyes</em>," Seungmin protested. His gaze drifted down to Hyunjin’s lips. Now it had been mentioned he couldn’t help thinking about how soft they looked and how he could press his own against them in a single motion. He blinked his way out of his daze when Hyunjin’s lips pulled up into a smile and he realised he’d forgotten to keep talking. “Ummm. Yeah. Can you go brush your teeth now? I’m not going to concentrate on anything else until I’ve found out what it’s like.”</p><p>***</p><p>“I-” Seungmin said as Hyunjin leaned away for a second to adjust his angle. Hyunjin had him pressed against the bathroom door and they’d been lazily kissing for a while now. This was the first coherent thought Seungmin had had since Hyunjin first tilted his head up and slotted their lips together, and it wasn’t very coherent at that. “I-” His fingers were knotted in the hair at the nape of Hyunjin’s neck and he used it to pull Hyunjin’s mouth off of him. Hyunjin’s eyes were blown wide and the look on his face was startlingly intense.</p><p>“Yeah?” Hyunjin slurred through swollen lips.</p><p>“It’s not important,” Seungmin said, already feeling stupid for interrupting what had been a blissfully overwhelming experience. “I just wanted to say that I have a new favourite flavour.”</p><p>“Yeah?” Hyunjin said, sneaking a quick kiss in before Seungmin’s answer. He was so distracting.</p><p>“Still mint,” Seungmin said, “but in your mouth.” Hyunjin’s eyes disappeared into slits as he tipped back his head and giggled. </p><p>“You’re so funny, Angel,” he told Seungmin fondly, stroking the ridge of his cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. “Unfortunately, my favourite flavour remains strawberry.” </p><p>Seungmin stared openly at him, waiting for the penny to drop.</p><p>“Oh my god, I’ve not given you strawberries yet,” Hyunjin realised. He stepped back suddenly, pulled Seungmin to his chest and swung the door open to drag him back to his bedroom. “Put your jeans back on, Minnie,” Hyunjin told him. “We’re going shopping.”</p><p>“Hyunjin!” Seungmin exclaimed as his clothing abruptly changed mid-step. “Stop doing that!”</p><p>***</p><p>“You should have taken the subway,” Seungmin said as the lights changed again and still no bus arrived. He didn’t like making Hyunjin pay double for transport so he was invisible to the public eye and Hyunjin was wearing his earphones so he could pretend to be on a call if he wanted to answer. It was a pretty good system but it meant they couldn’t always touch without Hyunjin looking weird. Currently they were holding hands in Hyunjin’s pocket because the bus stop was otherwise empty but if the bus ever did appear Seungmin might have to go to the roof to avoid getting sat on.</p><p>“I didn’t want to take the subway,” Hyunjin replied. “It’s loud and this bus should get us closer to the supermarket<em> if</em> it arrives.”</p><p>“I don’t think it’s coming,” Seungmin said. “Maybe you’ll have to walk.” He, of course, would fly because only an idiot would walk that far when they had perfectly functional wings and city wind tunnels to ride.</p><p>Hyunjin sighed. “Do you think if I pray really loudly to Innie he’ll come and make the bus appear?”</p><p>“He’ll be so mad if he does,” Seungmin noted. “Try it.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Jeongin did not appear but the bus did, eventually. It was already full as it pulled up and Hyunjin let go of Seungmin’s hand as he took out his card. “See you on the other side, Angel,” he muttered as the doors opened to let him on.</p><p>“Bye, stay safe,” Seungmin said in farewell. The words had barely left his mouth and Hyunjin was tripping over the step into the bus. “Seriously, Jinnie?” Seungmin asked exasperatedly as an old lady actually got up to help him.</p><p>“I’m fine!” Hyunjin said to everyone, scrambling to his feet. “I’m fine!” Seungmin watched him tap his card and grab onto a railing. The driver was kind enough to look in her mirror to check Hyunjin was ready before she pulled away and once they were underway Seungmin took off to follow.</p><p>He met Hyunjin with a roll of his eyes and linked their arms together as he got off the bus. “I can’t leave you alone for five seconds without you finding disaster,” he complained, steering them through the crowd. People moved for Seungmin and Hyunjin took the cue that Seungmin was now visible. He turned his head and pressed a quick kiss to Seungmin’s cheek.</p><p>“Missed you.”</p><p>“I didn’t,” Seungmin replied cheekily, but he squeezed Hyunjin’s arm tight in an answering pseudo-hug to the gesture of affection. “I was doing loop-de-loops and having a great time.”</p><p>***</p><p>"Ok, so you build up some speed and then jump up and lock your arms," Hyunjin said, demonstrating the trolley slide he was trying to teach Seungmin to do. Unfortunately, the shopping trolley had a bad wheel and it careened to the left toward a stack of tinned beans. Seungmin's sense of danger and fast reflexes were all that stopped Hyunjin causing a collision and lasting damage to both him and the produce.</p><p>"Nope," Seungmin said, taking over the trolley and steering it out of the aisle. "No more of that."</p><p>"Seungminnieee," Hyunjin whined, skipping after him. "Can't-"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"I-"</p><p>"-am going to listen to the voice of reason," Seungmin finished for him. "What are we buying next?"</p><p>"We need ice cream," Hyunjin said, hooking his fingers into the front of the trolley and steering it and Seungmin towards the freezers, "because <em>someone</em> keeps eating it all."</p><p>“Innie ate it too,” Seungmin grumbled.</p><p>“Innie wasn’t the main culprit,” Hyunjin called over his shoulder. He had a point.</p><p>*** </p><p>“Are you tired, Angel?” Hyunjin asked softly when Seungmin dropped his head onto his shoulder. In the excitement of having Seungmin with him Hyunjin had bought a little too much at the supermarket and they had ended up with bags to carry as well as filling the backpack Hyunjin brought. Most of their walk was over now though as they had made it to the bus stop. </p><p>“I’m not tired,” Seungmin answered. He wasn’t capable of getting physically fatigued like Hyunjin did but his mind could still get overrun with thought. “Just thinking.”</p><p>“Heavy thoughts?” Hyunjin asked. He struggled to reach down to the bag at his feet without moving his shoulder and grunted as he popped open the package at the top. He straightened up again and held his prize out under Seungmin’s nose. “Would a strawberry make you feel better?”</p><p>Seungmin carefully took the fruit and lifted his head. “It’s not that my thoughts are bad,” he said hesitantly. “Just...yeah, <em>heavy.” </em> Before eating the strawberry he examined it carefully and held it to his nose to smell it’s sweet scent. Strawberry was Hyunjin’s favourite so it was important he savoured it. The berry was a bright red and filled most of his palm and the green leaves at the stalk were drawn back as if asking to be separated from the flesh. Hyunjin took it from him for a second and twisted the stalk off so it took the white centre with it. He gave Seungmin the strawberry back and dropped the stalk into his bag.</p><p>“It’s pretty,” Seungmin said. He felt guilty about eating something so beautiful.</p><p>“It’s tasty too,” Hyunjin said, raising Seungmin’s hand to his lips. “Say ‘ahhh’, Seungminnie. Ahhhhh.” If Hyunjin thought Seungmin could fit that whole strawberry in his mouth he was mistaken. He must have recognised the panic in Seungmin’s eyes though because he held the strawberry still at Seungmin’s lips and let him nibble off a bite to try. It was juicy and filled Seungmin’s mouth with a burst of sweetness he wasn’t expecting. He should have, though- Hyunjin had a notorious sweet tooth. As he turned to smile at Hyunjin and show his enjoyment, he caught sight of their bus fast approaching. Seungmin took hold of Hyunjin’s wrist and redirected the rest of the strawberry to his friend’s mouth.</p><p>“Jinnie, ‘ahh’,” he said, covering his own mouth with his free hand to hide the half-chewed strawwberry. “The bus is here.” Hyunjin took the rest of the strawberry in one easy bite and turned around to catch sight of the bus.</p><p>“No time for your disappearing trick,” he said happily, flagging down the bus. “You’ll have to help me carry the bags instead.”</p><p>“That’s probably a good thing,” Seungmin remarked. “I bet you’d leave something behind otherwise.”</p><p>Hyunjin stood, swung the heavy backpack over his shoulder and picked up the bag at his feet before holding out his hand to Seungmin. “As long as I’ve got you, I’ve got everything I need with me.”</p><p>“You’re just going to leave your wallet on the ground then,” Seungmin said. He’d watched it fall out of Hyunjin’s pocket when he bent down and, out of interest, decided to wait to see if he would notice on his own. Hyunjin was getting better at looking after himself with Seungmin’s active reminders but he wasn’t perfect and in this case it might have been the next day before Hyunjin realised his wallet was gone if Seungmin hadn’t pointed it out.</p><p>“Oh.” Hyunjin stared at the wallet until Seungmin crouched to pick it up. Seungmin playfully smacked him on the back of the head with it. </p><p>“Get on the bus, you disaster.”</p>
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<a name="section0034"><h2>34. Chapter 34</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>trigger warning: panic attack. This one is described in more detail than the last one but Seungmin again has a good support system. To skip, finish reading at 'Nice wings.'</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin took the bags when they got back to Hyunjin’s building so Hyunjin could rummage around for his keys. He knew they were in Hyunjin’s hoodie pocket, underneath his zipped jacket, but he would let Hyunjin work that one out. Hyunjin needed to be more consistent and put his keys somewhere safe but Seungmin wasn’t going to nag him about it this time since he’d technically distracted Hyunjin on his way out the flat that morning. Kissing Hyunjin was just so nice.</p><p>Seungmin was brought back to the present by the creak of the front door opening. Hyunjin stepped aside to let Seungmin in first and put his keys in his mouth to hold them until he needed them for the apartment door. Seungmin tried not to think about how many potential diseases were on the key but he still grimaced at the sight.</p><p>“Wha?” Hyunjin garbled around his keys. His hands weren’t even occupied since Seungmin was carrying all the bags.</p><p>“Take them out of your mouth,” Seungmin said exasperatedly. “They’ve just been in the lock and God knows where your neighbours put their keys before they also go in there.”</p><p>“‘s fine,” Hyunjin said. “Not killed me yet.” That kind of answer from Hyunjin enfuriated Seungmin. He could at least <i>attempt</i> some self-preservation.</p><p>Seungmin’s hands were full so he couldn’t remove the keys himself but he did (after quickly checking no neighbours were around) turn invisible and start opening his wings so they filled the corridor either side of him and stretched over his head. There was a reason angels were often described as terrifying, and it wasn’t always because of fire or extra eyes. </p><p>Hyunjin’s mouth fell open and the keys dropped to the ground with a clatter. “What the fuck.”</p><p>Seungmin let the power go but kept his wings open to fly up the stairs as usual. Hyunjin was still staring in shock so Seungmin tried to lighten the mood by sticking out his tongue. “I <em>told</em> you to take the keys out your mouth.”</p><p>“What the fuck,” Hyunjin repeated. “You just… what the fuck was that?”</p><p>Seungmin shrugged, secretly pleased. “I’m a celestial being. Just because I look human doesn’t mean I am.” He was, of course, pretty limited to the ‘human with wings’ body type as a Guardian Angel but Hyunjin didn’t need to know that. Hyunjin was getting far too cocky about his own powers to get to know that increasing the brightness of his wings and holding a power stance was all Seungmin had left over him. “I’m going to fly upstairs, go rinse your mouth with mouthwash when you get in.”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin was still preening at his little trick when he landed in the living room and he didn’t think to check around the apartment for strangers before becoming visible again. The apartment was supposed to be a safe haven for angels- Jisung had said so.</p><p>And yet Jisung still screamed when Seungmin appeared.</p><p>“Sorry,” Seungmin told him apathetically. He then noticed that Jisung had a take-out cup tucked in the middle of his fetal position defense. He narrowed his eyes. “Have you been outside?” Jisung was still dressed in the pyjamas Seungmin had left him in at five in the morning and he liked to think that even Jisung had standards high enough to not go out dressed like that.</p><p>Jisung, still looking like a startled rodent, shook his head. “Minho-hyung brought it for me.” He grimaced and pointed behind Seungmin. “He also brought Changbin-hyung.”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin whirled around to see Changbin sitting very still on the opposite couch, an identical cup clutched in his hand.</p><p>“Duck,” Seungmin swore, before putting on his warmest smile. Changbin had been through enough. “Hi, Changbin.”</p><p>“Hi,” Changbin replied. “Nice wings.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Seungmin replied, trying to ignore the rising panic in his chest. At least Changbin seemed to be taking it well. “I’m gonna.. go.. put these bags in the kitchen,” he managed to say before rushing from the room.</p><p>“Shit, where’s Hyunjin?” Seungmin heard Jisung say behind him, already kind of echoey through his panic. Someone followed him into the kitchen and held his arms as they lowered him to the floor.</p><p>“Hey, you’re ok,” the person said, pressing something cold and wet to Seungmin’s forehead and cheeks. “It’s ok. I’m not going to tell anyone whatever is going on-”</p><p>“Angel!” Hyunjin said loudly an undefined amount of time later, dropping noisily to his knees next to him. He was gasping for breath and when he slipped his hand into Seungmin’s Seungmin hazily noticed that his own palm was damp with a cold sweat.</p><p>“I’m ok,” he heard himself say in a faraway voice. </p><p>“You need to be wearing a t-shirt instead of a hoodie,” Hyunjin said firmly and suddenly Seungmin found it easier to breathe.</p><p>“What the fuck, dude!” Jisung said from somewhere. He could have been out on the street for all Seungmin knew.</p><p>“You’re doing good,” Changbin said, pressing the cold cloth to Seungmin’s cheeks again. “Keep breathing slowly, you’re nearly there.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Seungmin said as the room came back into focus. They were all crowded around him on the kitchen floor and he’d panicked <em>again</em>. Some guardian he was.</p><p>“Nothing to be sorry about,” Changbin said, smiling gently down at him. Seungmin’s head was pillowed in his lap. He handed over the cloth and Seungmin used it to wipe his sweaty hands. He still felt pretty dizzy but he felt foolish lying on the ground so he tried to sit up.</p><p>“Careful, Angel,” Hyunjin said, sliding behind him and backing them against the counter. Seungmin was glad for it as the room spun wildly and he had no choice but to let Hyunjin hold him up as he lost all sense of direction.</p><p>“I take it that’s not really a pet name,” Changbin commented as Jisung held a glass of water out to Seungmin. Hyunjin took the glass for him and helped Seungmin hold it as he took tiny sips. Seungmin’s hands were shaking for no reason and he was breathing so heavily it made it difficult to swallow.</p><p>“It’s not, no,” Hyunjin answered calmly. “Seungminnie is my Guardian Angel. Sung and Minho-hyung know but nobody else and it needs to stay that way.”</p><p>“Yeah, of course,” Changbin answered readily. “I promise I’ll tell nobody, Seungminnie. You don’t need to worry.”</p><p>“I’m not worried,” Seungmin mumbled and Hyunjin’s chest shook behind him as he laughed.</p><p>“Is Chan coming?” Jisung asked, hovering over them, nervously. “Or Innie? Do you need Innie again?”</p><p>“You just want Innie to yourself,” Seungmin joked. He was already feeling better but he’d stay where he was for a little while longer just to be safe. “I don’t know,” he answered the question. “I can’t really focus on hearing them right now.”</p><p>“Yeah, don’t,” Hyunjin said quickly. He rubbed calming circles on Seungmin’s thigh and Seungmin realised belatedly that Hyunjin had swapped his jeans out for sweatpants again. “I can text Felix to tell them?”</p><p>“I’m ok,” Seungmin said. “And it’s Sunday- they’ll be busy.”</p><p>“These are other angels,” Jisung explained to Changbin. “But they work with everyone while Seungmin only works with Hyunjin.”</p><p>“Right,” Changbin said, apparently not bothered in the slightest. “Is that because Hyunjin has magic powers?”</p><p>“I wish I knew,” Seungmin muttered.  “That’s pretty recent.”</p><p>“Yeah, I’ve not seen this sailor moon costume change stuff before,” Jisung said, waving his finger at Seungmin. “How long has that been happening?”</p><p>“Since this morning,” Hyunjin admitted. “I’ve not managed the t-shirt before I just thought it would be good for Minnie to be less restricted.”</p><p>“Yes, that’s right,” Changbin said. Seungmin suddenly remembered that he was a medical student. Of all the people to panic in front of, a medical student was probably one of the better options. “You could probably do with something to raise your blood sugar too,” Changbin told Seungmin. “That must have been exhausting.”</p><p>“There’s str-” Hyunjin started but Jisung got there first.</p><p>“Strawberries!” he cried, pulling the container from one of the shopping bags discarded on the floor. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you skipped the panic attack, Changbin lead the helping, getting Seungmin to lie down and talking to him. Hyunjin ran up the stairs and made Seungmin's clothes change to a tshirt and sweatpants. They told Changbin about angels and now they are going to give Seungmin strawberries to boost his blood sugar levels.</p>
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<a name="section0035"><h2>35. Chapter 35</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i doubt anyone will understand this reference but i just realised im essentially writing BBC Merlin. This explains so much</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung cut up and dished out the strawberries and they ate them on the kitchen floor, leaning against the cupboards. Seungmin stayed between Hyunjin's thighs because… well, it was comfortable, and he felt safe with the steady rise and fall of Hyunjin's chest behind him. He was still feeling too shaken to try and phase his wings in isolation so they were spread open along one side of the kitchen floor and Changbin and Jisung were restricted to the other side of the floor, squished in with the discarded shopping bags. It was a comfortable atmosphere though and Changbin fit right in.</p><p>"So when I met you in the bathroom," Changbin said, taking a strawberry half, "and Hyunjin was talking to thin air..."</p><p>"Oh, yeah." Seungmin remembered offhandedly inventing an imaginary friend to blame Hyunjin's weirdness on. "Innie was there- one of the other angels. He was actually there before us to try and help you but you were too in your head to hear him."</p><p>"Hear him?" Changbin asked in surprise. "Like hearing voices?"</p><p>"Um, not quite," Seungmin answered. He wasn't entirely sure, however, as he'd never been on the receiving end. "I think it's more like a sudden thought. I used to do it all the time to Jinnie but he can see and hear me all the time now so it doesn't work the same.”</p><p>“Sorry,” Hyunjin said with a smile in his voice, not sorry at all. He was stroking idly down the feathers Seungmin's left wing and Seungmin wanted him to dig his fingers between the feathers properly instead of tickling him but he didn't want to say while they were in company. He needed his wings groomed more often now since he was walking about among the humans now and since Jeongin hadn't had a chance recently he should really ask Hyunjin to do it soon.</p><p>“I can test the Suggestion with Sungie, if that's ok?" Seungmin said, ignoring Hyunjin's actions and directing the final phrase at Jisung. Jisung didn't really need more Suggestion but this one wouldn't mess with his decision making too much.</p><p>"You're not going to make me do something weird?" Jisung asked hesitantly.</p><p>“I won’t,” Seungmin promised. “Just don’t resist or you’ll make it harder.”</p><p>“Bold of you to think I’ve ever resisted my spontaneous thoughts,” Jisung replied with a grin.</p><p>“No one is surprised,” Hyunjin commented and Jisung sent a flailing kick in his direction. Hyunjin kicked him back, far more accurately, and they would have continued fighting like children had Seungmin not put a warning hand on Hyunjin’s knee. “He fucking started it,” Hyunjin complained, annoyed that Jisung had gotten an extra kick in after Seungmin stopped him.</p><p>Seungmin tipped his head back so he could look Hyunjin in the eye. “No injuries tonight,” he asked of him. “Please.”</p><p>“Fine,” Hyunjin grumbled, dropping a kiss to Seungmin’s forehead. He then looked up and pointed two fingers from his eyes to Jisung’s. “Tomorrow. Watch your back, Honey. I’m coming for you.”</p><p>“Hyunjin,” Seungmin groaned but it was too late.</p><p>“Watch yours!” Jisung replied enthusiastically.</p><p>Changbin’s eyes were a little wide and he was being very quiet so Seungmin decided to reassure him. “They won’t really fight. The one time one of them landed a punch they both started crying.”</p><p>“The crying was unrelated to getting punched!” Hyunjin quickly and loudly proclaimed.</p><p>“The crying was one hundred percent related to doing the punching,” Jisung countered. “Hyunjin’s face is fucking <em>hard.”</em></p><p>“DId you make a fist like this?” Changbin asked, holding up his hand with his fingers curled into his palm, his thumb wrapped around his first two fingers.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jisung said, holding up his own fist. “So it doesn’t break your thumb, right?”</p><p>“Mmhm,” Changbin replied, putting the strawberry half from his other hand into his mouth and getting to his feet to crouch by Jisung. “That’s step one. You then need to tense your hand to distribute the force of impact through your hand.” He covered Jisung’s fist with his hands and squeezed it. “Tense more.” </p><p>Jisung did, presumably, and stared across at Hyunjin and Seungmin with wide eyes. Seungmin smiled encouragingly at him and nodded for him to pay attention. This probably wasn’t quite the bonding experience Chan wanted them to have but Seungmin would take anything.</p><p>“Good!” Changbin said, after testing Jisung’s fist against his own palm. “The next important thing is to punch through these knuckles here,” he said, holding Jisung’s hand and wrist gently and running his fingers over Jisung’s first two knuckles. Jisung’s cheeks were going red but he nodded to show he was listening. Changbin then nudged Jisung’s elbow up. “You want to align all the bones of your forearm so the forces don’t impact your wrist at a bad angle and hit as straight as possible-”</p><p>“I’m gay though,” Jisung muttered to himself and then tensed as he realised he’d said that in front of a near-stranger. “Uhhh-”</p><p>“So am I,” Changbin said casually, breaking the tension. “Just keep your elbow in and your joints aligned or you’ll damage something.”</p><p>“I’m only kinda gay,” Jisung blurted out as if he was afraid he was going to get his punching lessons revoked for lying. “Bi. I’m bi. I punch girls and guys equally badly.”</p><p>“What girl did you punch?” Hyunjin wanted to know. Seungmin pinched him for disrupting their moment, though perhaps Jisung had already managed that on his own.</p><p>“My cousin,” Jisung replied. “It was my turn on the trampoline and she fucking knew it.” He turned back to Changbin. “Sorry, what were you saying? I get distracted easily.”</p><p>Changbin shook his head and pulled his hands away to hold onto his ankles. He looked like a tiny ball and Seungmin kind of wanted to get up to go and push him over. “That was it.”</p><p>“So, do you do martial arts or something?” Jisung asked, looking around for something to hit with his new and improved fist. He settled on the cupboard behind him.</p><p>“No, I’m just a med stu- what did you do that for!?” Changbin exclaimed as Jisung recoiled from hitting the wooden door with rather a lot of force.</p><p>“I thought it would be fine!” Jisung squeaked, tucking his injured hand between his legs to squeeze the pain away. “Itwasnotfine.”</p><p>“C’mere, you idiot,” Seungmin said tiredly, stretching out a foot to prod Jisung. “I’m not making this a permanent service though.” Jisung shuffled over pitifully and tipped himself into Seungmin’s lap before holding up his fist for kissing. “Where?” Seungmin asked boredly. Nothing was bleeding or looked out of place so Jisung was probably just fine.</p><p>Jisung pointed to his knuckles with a pout and then to the back of his hand. He hadn’t followed Changbin’s instructions to align his bones well then. Seungmin dutifully kissed Jisung’s injuries and his wrist as well for good measure.</p><p>"Seungminnie can kiss injuries better," Hyunjin told Changbin proudly.</p><p>"Just accelerating healing and immune response," Seungmin said quickly before Changbin got the impression that angels were just leaving cancer patients to suffer. "Jisungie is taking far too much advantage of me being here."</p><p>Jisung stopped admiring his hand and reached up to pat Seungmin's cheek. "Thank you, Angelface. Love you lots."</p><p>"Mmm," Seungmin replied non-committedly. "You're ok."</p>
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<a name="section0036"><h2>36. Chapter 36</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>nice to see the merlin fandom is still around. yes seungmin and hyunjin are merlin and arthur- two sides of the same coin, destined, in love, constantly in dumb situations etc</p><p>jeongin, as someone pointed out, is gaius- grumpy old man that seungmin bitches to about hyunjin</p><p>jisung is probably gwaine or something idk</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin probably should have noticed Minho appearing before the others did- it was kind of his job to be aware of these kinds of things. And he certainly should have been on higher alert for unexpected things in the apartment after Changbin’s sudden appearance…. He blamed Jisung for being too entertaining for his own good.</p><p>“Why are you all on the floor?” Minho asked from the doorway. Hyunjin’s entire body tensed behind Seungmin and Jisung spasmed and knocked over one of the shopping bags. Changbin just looked up in vague interest.</p><p>“Hi Hyung.”</p><p>“Hiya Binnie,” Minho replied. “Did they at least feed you?”</p><p>“Where the fuck did <em>you</em> appear from??” Hyunjin asked, pushing away from the cabinets to sit in a more alert position. He sat Seungmin up at the same time consequently and wrapped an arm protective around his middle. Seungmin felt a whole mix of emotions at once that he really didn’t have time to process but it must have shown on his face.</p><p>“Your door was unlocked,” Minho said nonchalantly. “You ok there, Angelface?”</p><p>“A lot has happened today,” Seungmin replied as calmly as he could. It was barely the afternoon. 'Today' still had time to throw a lot more curve balls his way. "I could have done without your contribution," he admitted.</p><p>“What? Binnie?” Minho asked, picking his way through the tangle of legs on the floor and rummaging through their shopping. “I had a meeting and he would get existential and panicky if I left him alone.”</p><p>“Well, <em>congratulations</em>, you made Minnie go existential and panicky instead,” Hyunjin said snippily. He let go of Seungmin and got to his feet to confront Minho. “Can I speak to you in my room, Hyung?” </p><p>Seungmin didn’t mean to check Hyunjin’s intention. He was trying to limit what angelic abilities he used for Hyunjin’s privacy and autonomy but it just seemed to happen. Hyunjin was upset, and scared for some reason Seungmin couldn’t understand, but before he could try and improve the situation Hyunjin and Minho had left the room. Seungmin suddenly felt very exposed and he pulled his wings in, phasing them and hiding them from sight so he looked like a regular human again.</p><p>“You don’t have to do that,” Changbin said unhappily.</p><p>“I-” Seungmin stopped himself from saying ‘I do’. The apartment was a safe place. Keeping his wings visible shouldn’t be a problem but it felt like it was and he was starting to feel the whispers of what he now recognised as panic crawling under his skin.</p><p>“You can do whatever, Seungmin,” Jisung said quickly. “I’m sure Jinnie won’t mind if you follow him, or I can show you more videos? Puppies? Cats?”</p><p>“Puppies,” Seungmin decided determinedly. He could stay unattached from Hyunjin for ten minutes. He crawled over and cuddled into Jisung’s side as the boy took out his phone. Jisung beckoned Changbin to his other side and turned the volume up loud so they could try to ignore the conversation down the hall. As another layer, Seungmin reached out a leg and kicked the door shut.</p><p>***</p><p>Minho returned first, slinking in like a cat. He crouched in front of Seungmin and stared unblinkingly into his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have made sure you knew before I brought Changbin over. It wasn’t fair for me to assume you could handle it.”</p><p>Seungmin nodded hesitantly, unsure of what response to give. Minho took a step to the left so he was in front of Jisung.</p><p>“I’m sorry for deciding when you met Binnie and forcing you to keep so many secrets. I know you’re bad at it.”</p><p>Jisung stuck out his tongue. “I did great at keeping secrets today, I’ll have you know.”</p><p>“Still.”</p><p>“It’s fine,” Jisung said with a roll of his eyes. “Changbinnie-hyung is cool.”</p><p>Minho glanced to the side where Changbin was still tucked into Jisung’s side. “<em>That </em>Changbin?”</p><p>“Hey!” Changbin protested weakly. “I <em>am</em> cool.”</p><p>“I’ve seen you bedroom Binnie Baby,” Minho told him. “You’re not cool. But despite that, you are now in the super secret Angel Alliance so we should really tell you everything before you’re blindsided with more of the craziness- sorry for not telling you before, by the way.”</p><p>There’s more?” Changbin asked, pulling away from Jisung to look around him to Seungmin for confirmation.</p><p>“With Hyunjin involved, there’s always more,” Seungmin said tiredly. “I should probably start from the car crash so this will take a while.”</p><p>“There was a car crash?” Changbin asked in horror.</p><p>***</p><p>Minho shuffled them all to the living room for the story so he had the kitchen to make them lunch in apology. Jisung tried to tell him he didn’t need to but got slapped on the butt with a spatula until he left the room, not that Jisung protested too much. Hyunjin joined them on the couches after a few minutes and wordlessly sunk onto the cushion next to Seungmin and turned his face into Seungmin’s neck. Jisung took over the story at the next break point and Seungmin turned his attention to Hyunjin. </p><p>“Hey,” he said quietly, curling his wing around Hyunjin. They may have been phased but Hyunjin was as impervious to that as a fellow angel would be.</p><p>“I’m fine,” Hyunjin said and a quick check confirmed it was true. The fear was gone and Hyunjin was mostly tired. </p><p>“Do you want to have a nap?” Seungmin asked him. He’d woken Hyunjin very early that morning and it wasn’t really surprising that the morning they’d had had worn him down. </p><p>"I'm fine."</p><p>"You just had an intervention with your friend for no good reason," Seungmin reminded him. "Well-rested Hyunjin would have been nicer about that. Minho is having a hard time too, you know."</p><p>Hyunjin groaned cutely into Seungmin's shoulder. He really did need a nap- he was getting whiny.</p><p>"Hey," Jisung called over before Seungmin could coax Hyunjin into lying down. "What are all Jinnie's magic powers?" He caught CHangbin up on the last week and a half and Seungmin hoped he'd at least been moderately accurate while he'd been distracted with Hyunjin.</p><p>"It's not magic," Seungmin corrected quickly.</p><p>"Looks like magic to me," Jisung grumbled.</p><p>Seungmin didn't have the strength to argue that with a philosophy student so he left it be. "So far, Jinnie can see, hear, and touch angels when they are hidden from human perception and, as of this morning, change my clothes." It didn’t sound like much when he said it like that but it was a hell of a lot of power for a human to have.</p><p>Hyunjin yawned and Seungmin was wearing a hoodie again. It appeared to be for his own personal gain this time as Hyunjin immediately pillowed his head on Seungmin's now-padded shoulder. "I'm gonna manage the mind meld thing," he vowed (threatened) sleepily.</p><p>"No," Seungmin told him. "Absolutely not."</p><p>"Mind meld?" Changbin asked in confusion. </p><p>"I can speak to other angels in the area through my thoughts," Seungmin explained. "Hyunjin keeps trying to do it too."</p><p>"Ok. And why can he do all this stuff?" Changbin asked, glancing between them all. "Is he part angel or something?"</p><p>"That would explain how annoyingly pretty he is," Jisung mused, tilting his head to see Hyunjin’s face at a normal angle. "Honey, does your mum or dad have wings?"</p><p>"You've met them," Hyunjin grumbled. "Of course not. Minnie would be able to tell too."</p><p>"No, he's human," Seungmin said. "His parents too. Jeongin- Innie, the other angel," he explained to Changbin "-thinks Jinnie is either the antichrist or the second coming of Christ." </p><p>"Fun!" Jisung said enthusiastically. "Do you think I get exam exemption for living with the antichrist?"</p><p>“I think you get a free trip to the psych ward," Changbin replied.</p>
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<a name="section0037"><h2>37. Chapter 37</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin sank down to Seungmin’s lap as the boys bickered across from them. Seeing Jisung and Changbin there you wouldn’t think they’d only met that morning. That was the power of the kind of skill Chan had. He understood people better than they understood themselves and that was why his district could cover such a huge swath of Seoul and still be manageable. Who else would think to pair up Changbin and Jisung- two boys with wildly different backgrounds and directions in life?</p><p>“You look weird from this angle,” Hyunjin said, his blinks getting slower. Seungmin glanced down and gently folded his hand across Hyunjin’s eyes. His fingertips barely stretched across to the far side of Hyunjin’s eye socket and he could feel Hyunjin’s eyelashes fluttering against his skin as he tried to open his eyes.</p><p>“Shh,” Seungmin said, being careful not to lean the weight of his arm too much on Hyunjin’s nose. “Sleep.” Hyunjin responded to that by tipping his head back into the crevice between Seungmin’s thighs so Seungmin’s hand slipped down his face. As soon as Seungmin’s palm was on his cheek Hyunjin stuck out his tongue to forcibly lift it over his mouth. And then he sucked. From above it looked perfectly innocent. Hyunjin’s eyes were closed and relaxed through gaps between Seungmin’s fingers and only the faint hollowing of his cheeks gave away that anything was happening below Seungmin’s hand. That, and Seungmin had stopped breathing.</p><p>Seungmin pressed down on Hyunjin’s forehead and cheekbones with his fingertips hard enough to leave marks as he tried to contain his reaction. He didn’t want to say anything in their present company but he desperately wanted Hyunjin to be pressing his tongue into his mouth instead of against the tendons of his hand. They had people over- Hyunjin should <em>not</em> be doing this right now, but Seungmin wasn’t going to take his hand away and make Hyunjin stop.</p><p>“I get that Jinnie is annoying,” Jisung said, looking over at them and frowning. “But is it really worth smothering him after how long you’ve looked after him?”</p><p>“He’ll go to sleep faster without oxygen,” Seungmin replied, amazing himself with such a good answer. He didn’t think Hyunjin’s mind was anywhere near sleep anymore but keeping up the pretense was essential or they’d never hear the end of it.</p><p>“That’s… really not...” Changbin started hesitantly, his face troubled by trying to determine what social protocol allowed him to say in this situation. He would learn soon that social protocol went out the window with them.</p><p>Seungmin lifted hand. “He’s breathing, he’s fine.” Hyunjin reached up without opening his eyes and pulled Seungmin’s hand back down towards himself.</p><p>“I’m logging out of the conscious world,” he mumbled into Seungmin’s skin, just loud enough to be heard across the room.</p><p>“Make sure you hit ‘save’ first,” Jisung joked. Hyunjin lifted his free arm and slid it around Seungmin's back to grab a handful of his ass.</p><p>“Save.”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>“Bitch, what about me!” Jisung protested, lobbing a pillow at Hyunjin’s stomach. “Angelface wouldn’t disappear if you restarted the whole game. It’s <em>me</em> you need to save. <em>Me.”</em></p><p>“Are you saying Hyunjin’s going to get reincarnated?” Changbin asked in confusion.</p><p>“Don’t give him ideas,” Seungmin grumbled. Hyunjin puckered his lips and kissed his palm. Seungmin wasn’t paid enough to put up with this shit. “Hyunjin,” he said as sternly as he could without attracting attention. Hyunjin’s eyes smiled up at him and he could feel his cheeks pulling upwards in glee. There would be no convincing him to stop now and it was slow torture for Seungmin who had never had to deal with these kinds of emotions before. Unlucky for Hyunjin, he had an off switch. </p><p><em>"Hyunjin, go to sleep,"</em> Seungmin Suggested, staring deep into Hyunjin's eyes. Miraculously, it worked first time and Hyunjin's eyes fluttered shut with his smile still on his face. The rest of him relaxed pretty quickly after that, his hand falling away from Seungmin's butt and his head rolling towards Seungmin's stomach. Seungmin took his hand away from Hyunjin's face and stroked back his hair. Hyunjin must have been really tired to succumb that quickly. He was such an idiot.</p><p>"Did you just-" Jisung asked, pointing at his friend.</p><p>"I Suggested he sleep, yes," Seungmin replied. "Innie did the same thing to you this morning."</p><p>"He did?" Jisung asked in surprise. "That tiny bastard. I was trying to tell him I loved him. When is he next coming round? I'm going to squeeze him so tight he explodes."</p><p>"You love very aggressively," Changbin noted in amusement.</p><p>"Once he's challenged you to a fight you have to watch out- he'll try to kiss you at any opportunity," Seungmin warned Changbin. Jisung opened his mouth to protest and then closed it again with a frown. Changbin stared at him incredulously.</p><p>"Is that really how you befriend people?"</p><p>"It's worked so far!" Jisung argued. Changbin stared at him for a charged moment and then held out his hand. </p><p>"Arm wrestle."</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin could not believe what was happening, and he worked with Hyunjin so he'd seen more than his fair share of stupid. He felt he should really be filming this for Felix's benefit at least but he'd have to extract Hyunjin's phone from his far side pocket to do that and he wasn't even sure how to find the video function once he unlocked it. Felix would just have to survive with a retelling.</p><p>Changbin and Jisung knelt either side of the coffee table and linked hands. And then they… swayed their hands back and forth? Seungmin hadn’t watched a lot of arm wrestles but he was pretty sure the aim was to get the other person’s hand to touch the table. It didn’t seem like either of them was making any effort to do so.</p><p>“Do you need me to say ‘go’?” Seungmin asked hesitantly.</p><p>“We need a mediator,” Changbin admitted. “Or Jisung is going to cheat.”</p><p>“How <em>dare</em> you.. make an accurate assessment of my personality on our first meeting,” Jisung replied. “Minho-hyung!!” he called out. “Come hold our hands!”</p><p>Minho came out of the kitchen wiping his hands off on a tea towel. “What the fuck are you lot doing now?” he asked, throwing the towel over his shoulder.</p><p>“Arm wrestling,” Changbin replied. “<em>Obviously.</em> Come mediate, Hyung. Hyunjin has Seungmin trapped.”</p><p>“And I’m sure Seungmin is very sad about that,” Minho muttered sarcastically but he came and crouched between Changbin and Jisung, putting his hand over theirs. “One of your stick arms is gonna snap doing this,” he predicted. “And I am not paying for the taxi to A&amp;E.”</p><p>“Angelface can fix it if that happens,” Jisung said confidently. He was gripping the edge of the table with his free hand, already leveraging to cheat his way to a win.</p><p>“Do you remember me lying in Hyunjin’s bed in crippling pain?” Seungmin asked. “Because that was me healing broken bones at constant Angel Kisses level.” If one of the boys did break a bone they’d be in considerable pain, even if he was helping to heal it.</p><p>“I remember thinking Hyunjin had fucked you so hard you couldn’t walk,” Jisung replied cheerily. </p><p>Several things happened at that moment. Minho, who had been loosening Jisung’ and Changbin’s grip, let go of their hands and said ‘Start.’ Simultaneously, Changbin choked on his own spit, completely blindsided by Jisung’s comment, and got his hand slammed into the table with such force his entire upper body was flung sideways in an effort to keep his shoulder joint in it’s socket. The coffee table was not very stable in the first place and with that explosive impact at one corner it flipped up, sending Jisung’s glass of water flying across the room to dent the plasterboard and leave a lovely wet stain on the wall. That chaos alone was not enough to wake a sleeping Hyunjin, no matter how much noise it made, but Seungmin’s hand, which was resting on his neck, suddenly clenching certainly did it.</p><p>Hyunjin shot bolt upright, gasping for breath, his eyes wide with fear. “What happened?”</p><p>“I won!” Jisung crowed happily, raising his fists in victory. He stood over Changbin, lying askew on the floor. “Ha!! I<em> beat</em> you!” Jisung was anything but a gracious winner.</p><p>"I love visiting your apartment,” Minho said genuinely. “It makes me feel like such a sane, functioning member of society.”</p>
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<a name="section0038"><h2>38. Chapter 38</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i rewrote this so many times to try and make it less horny</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Seungmin was very glad when Changbin and Minho left their apartment. It wasn't that he didn't like them, just that those four humans in particular all together were a lot to handle. <em><em>A lot</em></em>. And it didn't really get much better when they left because then Jisung was vibrating with excitement at frequencies previously unknown to man because he met Changbin. Jisung thought Changbin was one of the coolest people he'd ever met and Minho was up there too. Seungmin, it appeared, barely scraped in below them in Jisung's rankings thanks to his kisses alone, and Hyunjin, despite being one of the least human humans to walk the earth in thousands of years and Jisung's best friend, didn't even make the list. Eventually though, Jisung talked himself out and went to his room and Hyunjin and Seungmin could finally retreat to theirs.</p><p>"You're unbelievable," Seungmin told Hyunjin, hooking his arms over the boy's shoulders to bring them face to face. "There were guests."</p><p>"Missed you," Hyunjin replied cheekily and ducked to bring their lips together. Seungmin had missed this too, even though it had only been hours since the last time. Hyunjin didn't taste like mint anymore, instead tasting distinctly of the spices in the curry Minho had served them for lunch. It wasn't great but it certainly wasn't bad enough to stop Seungmin going back for more. Or, more accurately, it wasn't bad enough to stop him standing there pliantly while Hyunjin went back for more. Hyunjin kept pushing his tongue into Seungmin's mouth and he hadn't quite worked out how to return the favour. Hyunjin didn't seem to mind and his hands moved from Seungmin's hips to the small of his back to his ass, pulling Seungmin closer, close enough to feel that Hyunjin wanted more than kisses.</p><p>Seungmin stepped back. "I should go to the roof."</p><p>"What? Why?" Hyunjin asked. He'd dropped his hands from Seungmin's body as soon as Seungmin resisted him but they were still stretched towards him as if pulled by a magnet.</p><p>Seungmin looked down pointedly, not wanting to have to explain in words, and Hyunjin's face flushed as he realised. He tugged his hoodie down aggressively.</p><p>"That's- I'm not- Sorry. Don't go. It'll go away." Hyunjin pushed down on the bulge in his trousers and bit off groan as he realised that was the wrong move. "It'll go away," he repeated, pulling his hoodie down further with his hands in the pouch pocket as if Seungmin didn’t know exactly what was going on. "Think about gross stuff, Hyunjinnie,” Hyunjin whispered to himself, closing his eyes. “Eggplants. Bin juice. Dog shit."</p><p>Seungmin was hopelessly endeared and he couldn't help but laugh.</p><p>"Stop looking at me like that," Hyunjin said sternly as he opened his eyes at the sound. "Seriously, Angel. You're making me fall in love with you."</p><p>The widest smile bloomed on Seungmin's face. "I'm definitely not making that happen,” he denied. “It's another one of your weird skills."

</p>
<p>"You're calling me weird?" Hyunjin asked, a challenge in his light tone.</p><p>"Very weird," Seungmin said, taking a step back without breaking eye contact. Hyunjin matched him with a step forward. "You should tell your doctor you've started seeing things. It might be a sign of something fatal."</p><p>"It fucking feels like it," Hyunjin said, crowding Seungmin against the wall. Seungmin was breathing heavily for no reason, unable to look away from Hyunjin's face. Whatever this was it was exhilarating and he didn’t want it to stop. "I'm still hard," Hyunjin said. "Is that ok?" </p><p>"Don't move your hips and it will be," Seungmin said and reached up to pull Hyunjin’s face towards him again. </p><p>Hyunjin kindly braced off of the wall with one arm so their bodies weren’t pressed together anymore and the kisses were less desperate this time so Seungmin was aware of the subtler things- way their noses bumped together and Hyunjin’s hair brushed against his cheek. He was finding his preferences too, and Hyunjin’s. He liked Hyunjin’s lower lip, liked biting down gently and pulling it into his mouth, but Hyunjin didn’t let him do that for too long and wandered, kissing Seungmin’s lips, his cheeks, his jaw and neck, and even bit his ear. Whenever he got distracted for too long Seungmin would whine lightly and he would feel Hyunjin smile into his kisses before he would drift back to his lips again for a moment until Seungmin was satisfied. It was bliss but Hyunjin got tired from their position quickly and called the end of their make out session for the time being. Seungmin didn't mind as long as Hyunjin was still right next to him. </p><p>"I'm going to have a shower," Hyunjin announced, massaging out the arm he’d been leaning on. Seungmin didn’t let go of his hoodie. “Angel,” he laughed. “Let me go have a shower or I’ll start taking your clothes off and take you in with me.” Seungmin quickly let go. Who knew what Hyunjin was capable of. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Hyunjin said, sticking out his tongue at him. </p><p>Seungmin felt a little embarrassed at that, though he knew Hyunjin wasn’t judging him. He hadn’t seen direct evidence but he was pretty sure Hyunjin had moved a lot faster with both boys and girls in the past and Hyunjin’s confidence only emphasised how new all this was to Seungmin. He couldn’t even properly tell Hyunjin that he wanted him to stay with him for a little while more.</p><p>“You, ok?” Hyunjin asked when Seungmin was silent for a little too long. “Lost in my eyes?”</p><p>“Your eyes aren’t that great,” Seungmin managed to reply.</p><p>“Aren’t that great?” Hyunjin scoffed. “They’re your new favourite colour.”</p><p>“In the <em>sunlight</em>,” Seungmin corrected, crossing his arms. “Your eyes currently are the colour of mud at best.”</p><p>Hyunjin pulled his head back with an expression that was a mix of disgust and confusion. “My eyes are not mud-coloured, fuck off.”</p><p>“Why have I seen mud exactly the same colour then?” Seungmin argued.</p><p>“Coffee, chocolate, walnut, bronze, mahogany, amber, chestnut-”</p><p>“Are you just naming browns now?” Seungmin asked when Hyunjin showed no sign of stopping even though he was running out of fingers to count them on.</p><p>“I’m an art student!” Hyunjin exclaimed. “There are hundreds of beautiful names for brown and you chose <em><em>mud.</em></em> <em><em>Mud.” </em></em>He pulled a face of disgust again. “I’m going to make you look at a chart later when I get back from my shower. <em>Mud?</em>” Seungmin had really offended him. “I can’t even begin to explain how wrong you are. Actually- ”

</p>
<p>“Ok! Go shower!” Seungmin said, pushing him away. “Come back when you can prove your eyes aren’t mud coloured.”</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0039"><h2>39. Chapter 39</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yes this is about 50% longer than a normal chapter and yes I should have written the swordfight fic instead. i dont care. felix is important</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few days later they were walking to the university hand in hand and Seungmin noticed the ornamental trees lining the pedestrian walkway had recently been watered. It was too good an opportunity to miss. He smiled to himself before squeezing Hyunjin's hand and pointing to the soaked dirt at the base of the nearest tree.</p><p>"That's you."</p><p>It took Hyunjin a moment to realise Seungmin was referring to the mud but when he did his warm smile disappeared and he pointedly dropped Seungmin's hand and turned to walk away in the direction they'd just come from. Seungmin laughed, absolutely delighted with that reaction.</p><p>"Hyunjin!" he called after him. "Jinnie, where are you going? You know I have to follow you anyway."</p><p>Hyunjin didn't reply and there were too many people around for Seungmin to fly so he resigned himself to walking after him. </p><p>***</p><p>"Are you really that mad?" Seungmin asked when he found Hyunjin sitting on a bench not that far away. "Mud is what helps plants and flowers grow. It gives you food. It's a good thing."</p><p>"I'm not mad," Hyunjin said unconvincingly and fell into a deep brooding silence. Seungmin took his hand and waited. The mud joke clearly hadn’t gone down well but that was a sign there was a bigger issue plaguing Hyunjin. Seungmin could think of at least three things it could be but he would wait to see if Hyunjin told him first.</p><p>"I don't think I want to go do dance practice," Hyunjin said eventually. He had been working himself hard and Seungmin wasn't really surprised he wasn't enthusiastic about self-imposed extra practice. </p><p>"Don't do dance practice then," Seungmin said simply. "Your big project is done and you practiced yesterday. Nothing is going to fall apart if you take the night off."</p><p>"I booked the practice room."</p><p>"Can you unbook it?" Seungmin asked.</p><p>"Yeah." Hyunjin pulled out his phone and nagivated to his university app. Seungmin waited patiently as Hyunjin went through several portals to his booking and deleted the reservation.</p><p>"Ok," he said when that was done. "What do you want to do instead?"</p><p>Hyunjin shrugged apathetically. "What do you want to do?"</p><p>"I don't count," Seungmin said dismissively.</p><p>"You do," Hyunjin told him, always a firm believer in Seungmin’s worth. "What do you want to do?"</p><p>Seungmin stared down at their feet as he thought, his immaculate white trainers next to Hyunjin's scuffed and worn ones. "Well, I've always thought it would be fun to visit Lixie."</p><p>Hyunjin brightened at that. "Felix? He's at a PC bang normally, right? Which one?"</p><p>***</p><p>Felix's little blonde head popped up from the sea of monitors the second they stepped into the room.</p><p>"<em>Hey, Lixie,"</em> Seungmin said to him, giving him a wave.</p><p>Felix responded in his mind without words, what Seungmin could best describe as <em>'!!!!'</em> and beckoned them over. Seungmin was distracted by trying to maintain the focus for their mental communication to work but Hyunjin didn't suffer that and dragged him by their linked fingers through the tightly packed chairs over to Felix. The seat behind Felix was empty and Hyunjin wasted no time stealing it and pulling Seungmin down to sit on his lap as he shuffled them over to Felix's station.</p><p>"Hey, Lixie," he said happily. "Playing Fortnite?"</p><p>"Among other things," Felix replied, shaking the big headphones off his ears to talk to them more clearly. "There's a lot of blogging too. Private stuff I try to report to Chan. People aren't very good at asking for help anymore."</p><p>Hyunjin made a noise to show he was interested and nudged Seungmin's wing out of the way with his chin so he could see better.</p><p>"Can I help give you a break, Lixie?" Seungmin asked. He wasn't foolish enough to think he could do Felix's job as well as he did but they had the same base skill set for helping people- surely there was something he could do to take that spaced, over-whelmed look off of Felix's face for a little while.</p><p>Felix laughed. "You can try. Can you see what I'm doing?" So much of what an angel did was in people's heads which is why it was so hard for humans to explain what they did. Felix worked through a computer but the premise was the same. The only difficulty was that he was running more tasks at once than any computer could handle within the bounds of the laws of physics. Seungmin could only see a white screen. </p><p>"Not even a little bit," Seungmin admitted honestly.</p><p>"I can see solitaire?" Hyunjin said hesitantly. "But only when I'm not looking at it."</p><p>Felix laughed again. "Hey, there's some human in you yet, Hyunjinnie! That's what you're meant to see. That's not what I'm doing. Put your hand on mine, Minnie."</p><p>Seungmin took his hand away from Hyunjin's at his waist and reached over to set it atop Felix's which was twitching with his sporadic typing. Seungmin didn't think the typing had much purpose behind keeping Felix focused. He focused himself, closing his eyes, and was overwhelmed by the <em>space</em> Felix was working in. Things were overlapping all around him and at the same time miles apart. There were message boxes everywhere and scenes Seungmin recognised from Hyunjin playing games, except now they were from a perspective he'd never seen before. And videos. There were videos playing everywhere he looked, coming in and out of focus as he turned to them.</p><p>"What the duck, Lixie," Seungmin gaped. "How?"</p><p>"Easy," Felix said, in his head or in real life- it was hard to tell. A few boxes seemed to speed towards Seungmin without getting any closer. "Can you talk to these people and monitor the ones to the left. Anything on those that's.. you know. Tell Chan. He'll sort it from there."</p><p>The videos started moving again. Spinning or growing or <em>something- </em>it was hard to tell when they only did it when he wasn't looking. He ignored them and started reading the box that might have been closest to him. </p><p>
  <em>I don't know what I want to do. My parents say art isn't a good career path.</em>
</p><p>Seungmin smiled to himself. The person was just like Hyunjin had been in high school. <em>Hyunjin</em>.</p><p>Seungmin pulled his hand off of Felix's and accidently reared back into Hyunjin as he became aware of the room again.</p><p>"Woah," Hyunjin said, narrowly avoiding a headbutt. "Hey, Angel. Did you have fun in the internet?"</p><p>"Don't touch Felix's keyboard," Seungmin answered. Hyunjin probably wouldn't see anything but Seungmin didn't want to risk it. Stuff like that would drive a human mind insane. "Promise, Jinnie. Don't touch it."</p><p>"Oh, yeah," Felix said, putting his headphones back on. "<em>Definitely</em> don't touch this, Hyunjin. Do you want to play a game instead? If you log on to the computer behind me we can play kart rider or something."</p><p>"Ooh! Yes!" Hyunjin said, scooting backwards. Felix's small hand clasped around Seungmin's wrist, pulling him from Hyunjin.</p><p>"Leave Minnie. I need him."</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin climbed into Felix's lap instead and Felix happily nuzzled into his hair. "This is so great, Minnie!"</p><p>Seungmin couldn't grudge him his fun but he wasn’t exactly ecstatic about diving back into the internet. He'd take Hyunjin's at his worst over that any day. </p><p>How Felix managed to keep up a conversation with Hyunjin, beat him consistently in their games, and do his job, Seungmin had no idea. He was struggling with multitasking on the few tasks he was given but he thought he managed to give some pretty good advice. Spending so much time in the human world with Hyunjin had certainly helped. </p><p>And then he gave his first report to Chan and got bombarded with positivity. It was so intense that Seungmin actually checked around him but the senior angel wasn’t nearby, he was just very excited to hear he was helping Felix. Apparently, it was 'a sign' he was 'getting back to his normal self'. Chan, clearly, was unaware that Seungmin had kind of thrown the ‘obedient little angel’ attitude completely out of the window. He’d help Felix because he loved him and the other angel was painfully overworked, <em>not</em> because it was their job, and he’d help Hyunjin because he loved him too and keeping Hyunjin safe and happy was his main goal in life. It just so happened that that goal aligned nicely with his job but he’d decided that when he was reassigned he wouldn’t go. He wasn’t sure exactly how much choice he would get in the matter but Heaven would lose an angel before he willingly left Hyunjin, the rest of the world be damned.</p><p>Seungmin eventually ran out of referrals for Chan and got some peace to work through the boxes that continued to appear in front of him until he was tugged back to the present.</p><p>"Home time, Minnie," Felix said cheerfully, giving him a hug. The room around them had emptied a little and but otherwise looked no different. Seungmin had absolutely no idea how much time had passed.</p><p>"Two hours," Hyunjin said when he asked, pulling Seungmin to his feet. "Lixie only let me win twice that entire time."</p><p>"I didn't let you!" Felix protested. "You won through skill."</p><p>"Sure," Hyunjin said with a wry smile. "See you soon, Lix." Felix beamed. He looked brighter behind his smile, more grounded, and Seungmin was immensly glad to see that.</p><p>"Yeah!" Felix agreed. "I'll try and come round when you're awake next time I get a lull in traffic."</p><p>"I don't believe your traffic ever stops," Seungmin said, trying to blink away the boxes behind his eyelids. "Is it always like that?"</p><p>"Oh no, it gets way worse at the weekend," Felix said, still smiling. "Thanks so much for your help though. If you ever want to come help again I'd love that. Maybe I can show you now to watch multiple videos next time."</p><p>"Please don't," Seungmin whimpered at the thought.  </p><p>“We’ll be back next week,” Hyunjin said happily. “I’ll bring snacks.”</p>
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<a name="section0040"><h2>40. Chapter 40</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>to the people who write in a second language 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 English is my first language and I couldn't even keep the tenses right for one paragraph here (idk what tense it is. the past past one)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin kept his promise to return the following week and he brought Felix food too since the angel was constantly surrounded by other people with snacks he didn't have the funds to for buy himself. Felix was somehow even happier to see them the second time, perhaps because he’d been getting closer with Hyunjin via sporadic text throughout the week but hadn't managed to get time off during the day to see Hyunjin in person. Seungmin, meanwhile, was old news and after a quick hug he left the two of them to bond while he took over some of Felix’s workload.  He’d seen Felix more recently than Hyunjin had anyway- at four am on Friday morning when Felix had had enough of a break to join Seungmin and Jeongin on the roof of Hyunjin's building.</p><p>It was rare for them all to see each other together without some kind of clusterfuck happening and the giddy excitement had led to them foolishly calling Chan in unison until he came to beat their asses. Chan had arrived startlingly quickly and dropped on them from above on silent wings. It was quite a feat considering all three of them could locate him by his thoughts and should know that angels came from the sky. Felix had let out a very colourful string of curses that was unfortunately censored by the powers that be but '<em>You sneaky custard!’ </em>was objectively a much funnier response. Seungmin had laughed so loudly he wouldn't have been surprised if Hyunjin had woken up several floors below them and Chan had wrapped them all in an aggressive cuddle for their bad behaviour before sending them their separate ways. It was telling how much Hyunjin had changed Seungmin that he didn't wriggle out of Chan’s arms immediately anymore like Jeongin did.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>“Whatcha thinkin’ ‘bout?” Hyunjin asked, poking Seungmin in the cheek.</p><p>“Chan,” Seungmin replied, turning to look at him. “Felix, Innie. You.”</p><p>“One of those things is not like the others,” Hyunjin noted with a smile. Seungmin swayed towards him and ducked under the brim of Hyunjin's cap to press a kiss to his upturned face.</p><p>“No, it is not,” he agreed. “One of those things has an essay to finish.”</p><p>Hyunjin wrinkled his nose but they had a deal. Seungmin would only sit with him if he kept working and Hyunjin knew Seungmin would stick to that. "This is unfair."</p><p>"Very," Seungmin replied. "Your existence is much nicer than theirs, essay included."</p><p>Hyunjin's sour expression deepened in a real frown at that reminder. Now that  he was closer with the other angels they were comfortable enough to bitch about their day in front of him and Hyunjin had joined Seungmin in suffering the gnawing guilt he felt for having the life he did. Hyunjin dealt with it better though, going out of his way to brighten Felix's day and be as helpful as he could within his community so Jeongin and Chan got less work as a result. Seungmin was in constant awe at just how big Hyunjin's heart was.</p><p>He copied Hyunjin's pout. "They're ok," he assured him. "Do your essay."</p><p>Hyunjin glowered at him. He flipped over his discarded notebook and tore out a couple of pages from the back, sliding them over to Seungmin. Seungmin took them in bewilderment and straightened up the edges as Hyunjin bent down to root in his bag for a pen. Hyunjin found one and sat up with a grunt, placing the pen down on top of the paper pointedly.</p><p>"You can write an essay too," he told Seungmin seriously. "What was it you told Daehwi you studied? Anthropology? Write an anthropology essay."</p><p>"On what?" Seungmin asked, picking up the pen. It felt strange in his hand. </p><p>"<em>People</em>," Hyunjin said with a roll of his eyes. "Isn't that what it is?"</p><p>"I was very clearly bullshipping Daehwi when I said that," Seungmin replied snippily. </p><p>Hyunjin's face contorted as he tried not to laugh. "Sounds kinky," he choked out. "Did Daehwi consent to that?"</p><p>"<em>You know what I want to say,"</em> Seungmin said, losing his patience. Hyunjin grinned. He was so smugly irritating. "And how can I write an essay on people when I only really know a single <em>people,"</em> Seungmin asked.</p><p>Hyunjin shrugged innocently. "You'll manage." And then he put his earbud back in and turned to his computer screen again because he <em>knew </em>Seungmin wouldn't risk disturbing him. The little shit.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Seungmin angrily scratched <em>Hwang Hyunjin</em> into the top of his page and immediately was infuriated by how messy his characters were. He knew <em>how</em> to write, knew what the characters should look like, he just hadn't ever had to draw them himself. Circles were hard and Hyunjin had three in his name. The more he stared the worse it looked- his characters weren't even the same height and the <em>Hwang</em> was downright indecipherable.</p><p>Seungmin turned the page over and tried again, this time on the first line instead of at the top of the page so his mistakes wouldn't feel quite so loud. Hyunjin had a pretty name- a hieut starting the first two characters and a nieun ending the last two. Seungmin had seen it written thousands of times, mostly by Hyunjin himself, who had also gone through a phrase in his high school years of stylising the characters to accent the duplicated letters. That was how he knew his second attempt was also bad. Not wanting to waste paper, Seungmin just moved down a line and tried again.</p><p><br/>
</p><p>"Angel?" Hyunjin asked just as Seungmin was beginning to get the hang of it. He had an amused lilt to his voice. "What are you doing, sweetheart?"</p><p>Seungmin dropped his pen and pushed it away. "I was just practicing," he said defensively. Hyunjin picked up his page and Seungmin had to resist the urge to snatch it back.</p><p>"This is just my name," Hyunjin said in awe, running his finger down the long columns of shaky characters.</p><p>"Well, I was going to move on to something else once I could write it well," Seungmin said. </p><p>Hyunjin looked up at him with emotion shining in his eyes. "I think you've got it, Angel," he said with a soft smile. "How about your name now? Do you know how to spell it?"</p><p>Seungmin nodded. He hadn't even considered his own name. Next he had been planning on writing the colours. "I'm not writing <em>Hwang</em> again," he said as Hyunjin gave him his paper back. I've written that enough."</p><p>"I would say so," Hyunjin agreed. "How about <em>Kim</em>? That's a pretty common surname and it has a giyeok and a mieum for you to practice. I'll give you a template," he said and took one of Seungmin's blank sheets of paper to write out <em>Kim Seungmin</em> in much larger and clearer letters than he normally wrote with. "Did you see the mieum?" he asked. "Three strokes. Down, top-side, and bottom."</p><p>"Yep," Seungmin answered, already mentally filing away the spaces Hyunjin had given each letter. His name wasn't as pretty but the straight lines of the outer characters boxing in the curves of the <em>Seung</em> was kind of interesting.</p><p>"Ok," Hyunjin said, placing the sheet back in front of Seungmin. "Let me know when you're happy with that and I'll give you something else. Half an hour more and we'll go home." They'd not been at the library that long but Hyunjin had also had class and a group meeting so Seungmin wasn't surprised his concentration was waning.</p><p>"How is your essay going?" Seungmin asked as he slowly started on <em>Kim</em>. The square for the mieum wasn't square at all but he left it and moved on, determined to do better by the second mieum. </p><p>"Surprisingly well?" Hyunjin answered, stretching his arms above his head. "I might be getting the hang of this 'university' shit."</p><p>"Yeah?" Seungmin said proudly. He paused to turn and admire Hyunjin's self-confidence.</p><p>"Yeah." Hyunjin grinned before slapping his hands down lightly on the desk. "Ok, half an hour more and then home," he repeated to himself as he got back into position to work. Seungmin turned back to his writing and stared at the page of <em>Hwang Hyunjin</em> a little too long before shaking his head and focusing on his new task again.</p>
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<a name="section0041"><h2>41. Chapter 41</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi i also posted last night so if you havent read seungmin writing then youve got that to enjoy too</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Honey?!” Hyunjin called out as they came through the front door. (Seungmin had started taking the stairs after his surprise encounter with Changbin.) There was no answer. Hyunjin sighed as he kicked off his shoes and went in search of Jisung. “He’s never around these days,” he muttered grumpily. Seungmin politely didn’t point out that Hyunjin wasn’t exactly as available as he used to be either.</p><p>Hyunjin wandered back into the hall with his phone pressed to his ear, huffing angrily at the dial tone of his unanswered call to his flatmate.</p><p>“Gimme the phone,” Seungmin said, holding out his hand as Hyunjin struggled to take off his jacket with his hands full. Hyunjin handed it over and Seungmin quickly unlocked it. The code was Kkami’s birthday, same as it had been since Kkami was brought home. He was better at using phones now and found Hyunjin’s contacts without any trouble, selecting the insult he presumed was the right person and held the phone to his ear.</p><p>“<em>What do you want?”</em> Minho answered abruptly.</p><p>“World peace,” Seungmin answered without missing a beat and Minho made a surprised noise in the back of his throat.</p><p>“<em>Ah. Angelface.”</em> No guesses as to where he got that nickname from. “<em>If you’ve lost Hyunjin I’m not helping you find him again.”</em></p><p>“I’ve not-” Seungmin started, getting offended until he realises who he’s talking to. He takes a deep breath and tries to focus. “Is there a Han Jisung at your apartment right now- yes or no?”</p><p>“<em>I wouldn’t know,”</em> Minho replied. “<em>I’m at the store.”</em></p><p>Seungmin wasn’t giving in that easily. “When you left your apartment, was Han Jisung there?”</p><p>“<em>Oh yeah,”</em> Minho answered easily. “<em>Has been the last two days.</em> <em>Not sure he or Binnie slept last night to be honest.”</em></p><p>Seungmin did <em>not</em> need to know that. “Ok. Can you get either him or Changbin to call Hyunjin’s phone before I have to resort to angel nonsense.”
</p><p>“<em>I’d much rather you resorted to angel nonsense,”</em> Minho said lazily. “<em>Preferably when I am nearby with a geiger counter or something.”</em></p><p>“I’m not radioactive!” Seungmin said exasperatedly. Hyunjin’s eyes went wide beside him. <em>‘Minho,’ </em>Seungmin mouthed to him and rolled his eyes. Hyunjin grinned and looped his arms around Seungmin's waist to listen in.</p><p>“<em>Has anybody ever checked?” </em>Minho asked. “<em>No? Then how do you know?”</em></p><p><em>“</em>Just text Changbin for me please,” Seungmin said tiredly.</p><p>“<em>Nah. You can wait until I get home,”</em> Minho said. “<em>Hyunjin is still alive, yes?”</em></p><p>“I am!” Hyunjin called. He’d pressed his ear against the other side of the phone.</p><p>“<em>Damn. Better luck next time,”</em> Minho said and promptly hung up on them.</p><p>***</p><p>Looks like it’s just us again, Angel,” Hyunjin said exaspiratedly, pocketing his phone. He held out his arms. “Kisses?”</p><p>“You can’t get kisses every time you’re sad Jisungie has found other friends,” Seungmin told him but he stepped into Hyunjin’s arm.</p><p>“Can’t I?” Hyunjin asked, blinking cutely at him.</p><p>“You <em>shouldn’t,”</em> Seungmin said, but who was he to deny Hyunjin kisses. </p><p>Kissing Hyunjin wasn’t as nearly as overwhelming as it had been when they had first started and it was <em>way </em>more pleasurable now they knew what each other liked and disliked. Also, Hyunjin’s dick <em>existing</em> while all that was happening was becoming less of a roadblock which is why when things started to get a little heated Hyunjin lifted Seungmin up to pull them closer together.</p><p>“How are you so light?” Hyunjin asked between kisses, slowly dialing down the intimacy though his hands were still spread across Seungmin’s ass. “No, seriously. I knew you were light from you lying on top of me when we cuddle but- I could hold you like this for hours.”</p><p>“You couldn’t,” Seungmin said, letting go a little with his thighs so Hyunjin had to bear more of his weight. Hyunjin just gripped him tighter. </p><p>“I totally could,” Hyunjin argued. “Watch.” He set his face determinedly and went still, presumably intent on holding that position for a while </p><p>Seungmin didn’t want to be accused of cheating so he resigned himself to no more kisses and traced the slopes of Hyunjin’s face with his forefinger instead. He went from his brow, down the bridge of his nose, the soft skin of his cupid’s bow, his lips, his chin and then up his jaw line and across the top of his cheekbone, around his eye socket and smoothed across his bushy eyebrow. Hyunjin remained resolute, not even shuffling his feet.</p><p>“Jinnie, you can’t actually do this for hours,” Seungmin reminded him. “You need to eat and pee and answer your phone when Jisung calls back.”</p><p>“Don’t distract me,” Hyunjin replied, miming a bite at Seungmin's finger as it traced over his lips again. “I’m proving a point.”</p><p>“You’re proving you’re very dumb,” Seungmin said fondly, flicking Hyunjin's nose. “And you’re definitely going to hurt yourself. Put me down.”</p><p>“No.” Hyunjin hoisted him higher so he could link his hands together under Seungmin’s ass. It became a lot less comfortable but Seungmin did like the increased height advantage.</p><p>“Jinnie, please. I believe you, ok?” Seungmin bargained. “And you will have zero bragging rights if you do manage to hold me for hours because you can’t tell anybody I’m an angel.”</p><p>“So you <em>are </em>light because you’re an angel,” Hyunjin said in interest. “How light?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Seungmin whined. This was not what he wanted to be doing. “We don’t have scales in heaven.”</p><p>“Jisung does,” Hyunjin said perkily and walked them to Jisung’s room, nudging open the door with his knee and then feeling around under Jisung’s bed with his foot, still holding Seungmin.</p><p>“Just put me down,” Seungmin said exasperatedly, holding tighter to Hyunjin’s shoulders and flaring his wings for balance as they swayed close to collapse.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Seungmin sighed leaned forward to rest his head on Hyunjin’s shoulder while the idiot attempted to turn on the scales with his toes. He should really put a stop to this but even with Suggestion Hyunjin would probably still remember the beginning of what happened and would extrapolate the event accurately enough for Seungmin to never hear the end of it. He was already haunted by The Fight, he didn’t need something else for Hyunjin to hold over him.</p><p>“Ok!” Hyunjin said. The scales were presumably working. Seungmin felt him step up onto them and they waited for the beep before Hyunjin stepped off again. Hyunjin leaned Seungmin back as he bent over to look. “Huh. Sixty-six kilograms.”</p><p>“How much do you normally weigh?” Seungmin asked, knowing the answer already.</p><p>“About.. sixty-five..” Hyunjin said. He gave Seungmin a boost and shifted his hands to hold him under his arms, fingers splayed against Seungmin's ribs. Seungmin had to tighten his grip on Hyunjin’s waist with his thighs so he wouldn’t fall. “You can get down,” Hyunjin said.</p><p>“You sure?” Seungmin asked. Being held by Hyunjin wasn't actually that bad and he didn't want to get whined at for stepping down too soon.</p><p>“I need to know,” Hyunjin replied and Seungmin delicately dropped his feet back to the floor. He got on the scales himself and they continued to read as zero. Hyunjin got on alone and it read sixty-six again. Seungmin was forced into another turn. Zero. Hyunjin put his cap on Seungmin’s head. Still zero. The hat by itself. 0.2. Hyunjin lost it.</p><p>“That’s not possible!”</p><p>“Hyunjinnie- Hyunjinnie-” Seungmin pulled Hyunjin’s flailing arms down. “Jinnie, I have wings. I fly through walls. You can change my clothes with your thoughts. Me not weighing anything isn’t that weird.”</p><p>“No, but-” Hyunjin clasped Seungmin’s hands in his and waved them up and down. “I said you were <em>light</em> but you clearly weigh <em>something</em> for me to feel you. What are you made-” Hyunjin went completely still, frozen by whatever thought he’d just had. “Are you made of light? Oh fuck, that makes so much sense.”</p><p>“I’m going to have to Suggest you,” Seungmin muttered to himself as Hyunjin strode out the room, pulling his phone out as he went. </p><p><br/>
</p><p>“Hyung, hi. How feasible is it that Seungminnie is made of light?” Hyunjin said into his phone. It could only be one person and Seungmin’s head was starting to hurt just thinking of what was going to happen.</p><p>“Uh-huh,” Hyunjin said in reply to whatever Minho was telling him. “No. He won’t give you a feath- I’m not stealing one.”</p><p>“Hang up,” Seungmin told him. “Hang up on him.”</p><p>“Hold on,” Hyunjin told him and pulled the phone away from his ear to put them on speaker. Brilliant.</p><p>"Hyung," Hyunjin said, cutting off Minho's rant. Seungminnie can hear you now."</p><p>"No I can't," Seungmin said, putting his hands over his ears. Hyunjin giggled.</p><p>"<em>Angelfaaace!" </em>Minho screamed down the line to ensure he would be listened to, before continuing calmly. <em>"You're radioactive. I knew it. I'm going to steal a geiger counter from the physics building and prove it.</em></p><p>"I'm not radioactive," Seungmin said tiredly. "If I was, wouldn't Hyunjin be dead from overexposure?"</p><p>"<em>Hmm," </em>Minho said, temporarily stumped. Seungmin thought he'd just gone quiet but Hyunjin sighed in irritation.</p><p>"He hung up again."</p>
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<a name="section0042"><h2>42. Chapter 42</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ok, but you do glow in the dark,” Hyunjin said, reaching up behind him to bury his fingers in Seungmin’s feathers. They were still having this argument, or rather, Hyunjin was still having this argument and Seungmin was still trying to shut it down. He wasn’t trying very hard.</p><p>“Mmm,” Seungmin said, vaguely agreeing. He did glow in the dark, he couldn’t deny that.</p><p>“So you produce light.”</p><p>“Do the glow in the dark stickers on your bed at home produce light or do they just store it and release it slowly?” Seungmin asked. He wasn’t leading Hyunjin to the answer because he didn’t have the answer himself but he enjoyed playing devil’s advocate. </p><p>“..The second one,” Hyunjin said hesitantly. He tipped his head back into Seungmin’s lap to look up at him imploringly. “Minnie, I’m so confused.” Seungmin was momentarily stunned by the sight. He still wasn’t quite used to Hyunjin looking at <em>him </em>and this Hyunjin- sprawled out on his couch, shoulders propped between Seungmin’s open legs, fingers tangled in Seungmin’s feathers, head leaning back against Seungmin’s thigh to stare up -was undeniably looking at him.</p><p>“Don’t worry about it,” Seungmin said when he caught his breath. “I’m here- why does it matter what I’m made of?” He ran his fingers through Hyunjin’s hair and Hyunjin closed his eyes to savour the sensation.</p><p>“Don’t want you to disappear,” Hyunjin mumbled contendedly. “You used to disappear.”</p><p>“Yeah, and you very quickly became entirely immune to that trick,” Seungmin reminded him, tugging lightly on Hyunjin's hair. “Good little humans like Sungie and Minho and Changbin stop seeing me when I turn invisible. <em>You…”</em></p><p>Hyunjin giggled. “I’m special.”</p><p>“Very special,” Seungmin agreed dryly. Hyunjin opened his eyes and dropped his gaze from Seungmin’s face to his hoodie, giving Seungmin milliseconds of warning before he was wearing sweatpants again.</p><p>“It’s comfier!” Hyunjin said before Seungmin could tell him off for it. Seungmin wasn't sure if he meant comfier for him or for Hyunjin. “Coulda changed your hoodie too but I left it.”</p><p>“Thanks,” Seungmin said sarcastically.</p><p>“You’re welcome,” Hyunjin sang happily. He reached up his hands and Seungmin half expected to be pulled down into a kiss when Hyunjin's phone began loudly buzzing.</p><p>"You should get that," Seungmin said as Hyunjin's hands settled on either side of his face.</p><p>Hyunjin pulled a face. "He can wait."</p><p>"It's probably Changbin," Seungmin said. He pulled Hyunjin's hands away. "It's rude to ignore a call from a new friend." </p><p>"It's rude to ignore a call from an old friend and yet Han Jisung-"</p><p>Seungmin kicked him lightly in the ribs. "Answer it."</p><p><br/>
</p><p>"Hello," Hyunjin answered the unknown call with unnecessary hostility.</p><p>"<em>Hi, my phone died sorry," </em>Jisung replied in a rush.</p><p>"Who are you?" Hyunjin said, despite knowing exactly who it was.</p><p>Jisung whined through the tinny speakers. "<em>Hyunjinniiee. I'm sorry, ok. I got distracted and my phone died. Changbin-hyung is a fucking Android user so his charger doesn't work for my phone."</em></p><p>"Mm," Hyunjin said, not accepting that as an apology. "We were supposed to go to Underground last night." He was trying to keep up the uncaring facade but Seungmin could hear the hurt in his voice. He was sure Jisung could hear it too.</p><p>"<em>Oh shit," </em>Jisung said, in genuine surprise. Seungmin had <em>told</em> Hyunjin that Jisung had just forgotten but Hyunjin, dramatic as ever, was convinced Jisung had abandoned him deliberately. "<em>Did you go without me?"</em></p><p>"No, why would I go clubbing alone?" Hyunjin answered.</p><p>"<em>Seungmin-" </em>Jisung started.</p><p>"Seungminnie is terrified of enclosed space and crowds- why would I do that to him?" Hyunjin said, cutting Jisung off. </p><p>Seungmin felt his stomach flip at how naturally Hyunjin protected him. Even the night before, when Hyunjin had been so looking forward to going out, not once did he suggest that Seungmin might enjoy clubbing if he tried it, nor did he try to bargain for an hour or two. He knew Seungmin was only barely comfortable with roof watch and when Jisung was a no-show he called off his night out without any guilt-tripping. If Seungmin didn’t already think he was the sweetest boy in the world, he would have for that.</p><p>"You promised,” Hyunjin accused Jisung, who was not getting the same sweet treatment. “Last week you said we would go out when your essay was done."</p><p><em>"I know. I'm really sorry," </em>Jisung said. "<em>Next week, I promise."</em></p><p>"Fine," Hyunjin said grudgingly. "What were you even doing?"</p><p>"<em>Right, so," </em>Jisung started excitedly. "You know how I write lyrics?" He didn't give Hyunjin a chance to answer. "<em>Well I was talking to Binnie-hyung about.. stuff. And I write about that in my lyrics so I showed him and he got me to rap them and then I made him have a go and like, he's really good. Like, really good. So we're going to enter that competition at the union next month."</em></p><p>"You've been writing a rap song?" Hyunjin asked incredulously. "For two days?” He raised his eyebrows at Seungmin and Seungmin shrugged. It wasn’t the weirdest thing he’d seen Jisung do.</p><p>"<em>Yeah!</em>" Jisung said enthusiastically. "<em>Well, I went to class too. One of them. Binnie-hyung didn't want to go to his lab but he was gonna go anyway so I skipped to make sure he wouldn't go because… yeah. And, like, it doesn't matter if I skip anyway because I take the one subject where you get marks for no knowing the answer."</em></p><p>"I didn't mean that," Hyunjin said softly as Jisung brought up his attack from their fighting days.</p><p>"<em>Nah, you did," </em>Jisung said breezily. <em>"You were kinda right. It's a dumb subject."</em></p><p>Hyunjin's face contorted in anguish at the self-depreciation and his part in it. Seungmin knew he hated when Jisung talked himself down like that. He didn't bring it up on the call though, instead choosing to ask, "Are you coming home tonight?"</p><p>"<em>Uhh," </em>Jisung answered. "<em>Minho-hyung is making chicken for dinner and I want to stay for that. And we were gonna watch Pirates of the Carribean…" </em>He trailed off and Hyunjin looked up to roll his eyes at Seungmin.</p><p>"At least ask this time before you crash their apartment," Hyunjin said fondly. "Where did you even sleep last night?"</p><p>"<em>Changbin-hyung's bed," </em> Jisung said.</p><p>"<em>With</em> Changbin-hyung?" Hyunjin asked gleefully, sitting up in excitement.</p><p>"<em>Oh, no," </em>Jisung replied, apparently clueless to Hyunjin's implications. "<em>He went and shared with Minho-hyung."</em></p><p>"Oh," Hyunjin said, doing a terrible job of hiding his surprise. "That was nice of Hyung to give you his bed."</p><p>"Yeah, Hyung is really nice," Jisung agreed. “Is Seungminnie there? Can he tell Channie-hyung thank you for finding me Changbin-hyung to be friends with? He’s just-” Jisung broke off as his voice cracked. "He <em>understands."</em></p><p>"Of course," Seungmin said, though Hyunjin looked a little offended at the thought of being an inadequate friend. "I'm not sure Chan meant for you to start a rap duo,” he told Jisung. “But whatever works, I guess."</p><p>"We're gonna be amazing," Jisung said confidently. "You need to come watch." </p><p>"Sure," Seungmin agreed. Hyunjin would definitely be going so Seungmin would be there even if he didn't want to be. "I'll get Hyunjin to film it to send to Chan if you want." </p><p>“I will be filming it for blackmail regardless,” Hyunjin announced. “Ok, Sung, if you’re not coming home tonight I’m gonna start making dinner cos my stomach is rumbling and I don’t have a Minho-hyung to serve me chicken here. I better see you tomorrow, ok?”</p><p><em>“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” </em>Jisung agreed.<em> “I’m really sorry about last night. First drinks on me next week.”</em></p><p>“First <em>two,”</em> Hyunjin bargained. “Bye, Honey. Have fun.”</p><p>“<em>You too,”</em> Jisung said. “<em>Have a crazy night with Angelface while I’m gone. Love you.”</em></p><p>“Love you too,” Hyunjin said and hung up the call. He leaned back against Seungmin again and sighed. “What an idiot, I hate him,” Hyunjin said with no bite. “Writing a rap song? He abandoned me because he was writing a rap song?”
</p><p>“With Changbin,” Seungmin added.  “I think Changbin being there was pretty important.”</p><p>“I bet three weeks before he realises he has a crush,” Hyunjin said, pushing off the couch to stand up .</p><p>“Angels don’t bet,” Seungmin said, though technically there were no rules on it.</p><p>Hyunjin rolled his eyes. “Of course they don’t.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0043"><h2>43. Chapter 43</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the penultimate chapter</p><p>I recommend listening to DAY6 Beautiful Feeling with lyrics before (or during, but tbh id be impressed if you stopped mid-chapter,) this chapter for maximum feels</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin and Jisung had a bluetooth speaker in their bathroom because both boys liked to listen to music as they showered and Jisung's phone had suffered water damage too many times for it to go near the shower again. The speaker was pretty powerful but it's bluetooth range was not great so if Seungmin wanted to be on Hyunjin's phone while he showered (which could take half an hour on a regular day) he had to stand right at the door. He didn't mind it and the only issue normally was Jisung passing on his way in or out of his room and stealing the phone to fuck with Hyunjin's ambience. There was no Jisung in the apartment that night and so Hyunjin's music was entirely his own, which was why Seungmin was surprised when he recognised the slow bass strums of what was unmistakably a DAY6 song through the door. Flicking down the notification bar on Hyunjin's phone confirmed it and Seungmin smiled to himself as he sang along under his breath. Then he got an idea, an idea that he didn't really think all the way through.</p><p>As the chorus hit Seungmin pushed open the bathroom door to belt out <em>"You were beautiful," </em>in time with the track.</p><p>Hyunjin screamed. Of course he did. He also fell into a sprawled heap of limbs at the bottom of the shower stall. Seungmin couldn't see through the frosted glass but he spared him a thought to check he was ok. Hyunjin's emotional state showed surprise, but not pain, so Seungmin continued to sing along, refusing to feel embarrassed now. It was a great song and the room had great acoustics- if anything, it would be a crime <em>not</em> to sing.</p><p>By the end of the chorus Hyunjin was laughing so Seungmin stopped singing to turn and ask, </p><p>"what?"</p><p>Hyunjin laughed harder and it sounded like he was breathing water as much as air.</p><p>"Please don't drown," Seungmin told him. "I don't want to get wet saving you."</p><p>"You- ohmygod <em>Minnie," </em>Hyunjin gasped, noisily clambering to his feet again. His face showed above the frosted part of the glass when he was standing and his hair was messily pushed away from his eyes.  "You- You- sing <em>like an angel</em>," he managed to get out eventually, grinning at himself.</p><p>"I should hope so," Seungmin replied primly. "Are you ok?" </p><p>"Minor bruises, maybe," Hyunjin answered, twisting his arm to try and see his elbow. "You can just kiss me all over when I'm done and that should fix it."</p><p>Seungmin felt his cheeks heat up at the scandalous suggestion but he didn't veto it. Hyunjin looked up and smiled knowingly at Seungmin’s silence.</p><p>“You’re imagining it.”</p><p>“Shut up. You made me,” Seungmin replied, trying desperately to clear the image from his mind. It wasn’t even an image, his mind was replaying<em> video</em> of every inch of skin he’d seen of Hyunjin recently and, given Hyunjin had taken to getting dressed after his showers in his room and <em>not warning Seungmin</em> before he strode through the door, that was quite a lot of skin. It did not help to know that there was only a thin pane of glass between him and a very naked Hyunjin that very moment.</p><p>Hyunjin blew him a kiss through the steamed up glass while ‘<em>You Were Beautiful’ </em>continued to play in the background, the sound of the music drowned out by the adoring look in his eyes. Seungmin was hypnotized. </p><p>“Keep singing?” Hyunjin asked. “I love your voice.”</p><p>“I, uh..” Seungmin replied, struggling to work out what verse <em>‘You Were Beautiful’ </em>had gotten to.</p><p>“You can override my playlist,” Hyunjin offered, tipping his head back under the spray so his hair got flattened down over his eyes. “Put on more DAY6 if you want, as long as you sing along.”</p><p>Seungmin looked down at the phone in his hands. He’d forgotten he was even holding it. DAY6 had a lot of sad love songs for their hits but luckily for Seungmin he’d listened to their entire discography with Hyunjin not far from his mind and there was one song that stood out to him.</p><p>He found it with shaking fingers and hit play on <em>‘Beautiful Feeling’,</em> choosing to sing what he’d never told Hyunjin in words. The song seemed to start so quickly he missed the first line and rushed to get on time for the second. It was hard to gauge Hyunjin’s reaction through the glass with the water running but it was almost better that way. Had Hyunjin been staring at him, Seungmin wasn’t sure he would have been brave enough to let the lyrics expose his true feelings. And then Hyunjin joined in with a quiet, soft voice in the chorus and all his fear melted away. </p><p>‘<em>Every moment I breathe under the same sky as you</em></p><p>
  <em>‘‘Like’ and ‘love’ aren’t enough to express</em>
</p><p>
  <em>This beautiful feeling’</em>
</p><p>Oh, this was definitely going beyond friendship now. Which, ok, it had been for a while, but they  hadn’t actually talked about it so Seungmin had been ignoring that Hyunjin didn’t push his other friends up against walls and kiss them stupid.</p><p>“Hyunjin?” Seungmin croaked out when Hyunjin dropped off after the chorus, scared he'd gone too far into unspoken territory. The water cut off suddenly and the patter of drips coming off of Hyunjin’s body seemed louder than the music somehow with how much Seungmin was focusing to find any indication on where they were in this blindfolded dance.</p><p>“You can keep going,” Hyunjin said, ringing out the ends of his hair. His voice was light, aiming for a calmness it didn't quite achieve. Hyunjin was nervous too. “I’m done showering so you might want to escape to the bedroom before I open this door.”</p><p>That was Seungmin's opportunity to backtrack to where they had been before, to the safe kisses between friends or coworkers and the grey zone that separated what they were to each other from what they felt.</p><p>“You’ll just follow me, naked,” Seungmin said, stating plainly what had been happening for weeks. Hyunjin was naked, now and for a period of time every night, and despite the consistent nature of this event neither of them had made any effort to avoid it happening again.</p><p>“Yeah,” Hyunjin said, wiping the clear section of glass to look out at Seungmin. “Is that a problem? You normally just close your eyes.” </p><p>Seungmin squeezed his eyes shut at the reminder he'd been staring for too long and Hyunjin laughed in delight, the sound getting clearer as a plume of steam from the shower door opening reached Seungmin.</p><p>“I love the way you panic,” Hyunjin said fondly, bopping Seungmin on the nose as he reached past him for his towel. “It’s very cute.”</p><p>“I’m not cute,” Seungmin argued, just knowing that he was turning the brightest shade of red under Hyunjin’s watchful gaze. It was not his fault he could hear Hyunjin patting himself dry right in front of him.</p><p>“Ok,” Hyunjin said. “Beautiful.” He was stealing words from DAY6. That wasn’t fair. That was combining two of Seungmin’s favourite things- how was he supposed to stay strong? He opened his eyes.</p><p>“Hi, Beautiful,” Hyunjin said teasingly as their eyes met. “Do you want me to put pyjamas on before I kiss you?” It was a genuine question, respectful of Seungmin’s previous hesitations. It just made Seungmin love him more.</p><p>Seungmin might have said ‘no’, he might have made a noise of disagreement, he might just have grabbed Hyunjin by the face and pulled him closer.</p><p>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Ok?” Hyunjin asked, as his fingers grazed the skin of Seungmin’s waist, just under the hem of his hoodie. Considering Seungmin’s hands had been all across Hyunjin’s chest, back and shoulders, Hyunjin didn’t really need to ask.</p><p>“Yeah,” Seungmin breathed. “Please.” Even the smallest touch was driving him crazy. He hadn't known skin could be this sensitive. Hyunjin pushed Seungmin’s hoodie up and spread his hands around his waist, making Seungmin tense his stomach muscles involuntarily. Hyunjin kissed down his neck as his hands wandered upwards, until they stopped. He pulled away and held up Seungmin’s hoodie with one hand, the other at Seungmin’s hip to stop him shying away. Seungmin made the mistake of looking down, as Hyunjin was, and saw that Hyunjin's towel was tied tightly around his waist, leaving little to the imagination. Hyunjin didn’t notice his gaze. He was too preoccupied.</p><p>“Angel, you don’t have a belly button."</p><p>Seungmin looked down at himself to check. Neither he did. He’d never seen himself without clothes to have known. </p><p>“I guess not.” If Hyunjin wasn't bothered by it's absence then Seungmin wouldn't be either. <em>Hyunjin's </em>body was far more interesting than his anyway.</p><p> Hyunjin pushed Seungmin’s hoodie higher after tracing up and down Seungmin's stomach a little more and the material tugged a little at his wings where they blocked it's movement. That feeling was forgotten, however, when Hyunjin’s thumb ran over something that sent a spark through his belly.</p><p>“No belly button but you have nipples?” Hyunjin asked, far too preoccupied by things Seungmin didn’t care about. </p><p>“Take off my hoodie,” Seungmin demanded. “And do that again.”</p><p>Hyunjin did not follow his instructions and flicked Seungmin's nipple again without taking off the clothing impeding them.</p><p>"<em>Hyunjin," </em>Seungmin said, putting all his frustration behind his name.</p><p>"Yeah ok." Hyunjin relented far quicker than he would in any other situation. "Bedroom?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0044"><h2>44. Chapter 44</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Im posting this on the 13th of February, not the 14th, and that makes it ok</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin awoke electrified with fear.</p><p>He had been peacefully asleep one second and the next Jeongin was gripping his shoulders and shaking him like a rag doll.</p><p>“<em>What </em>did you <em>do?”</em> Jeongin demanded, his eyes alight with a fury so intense Hyunjin started crying on the spot. Hyunjin’s hands were searching for Seungmin before he even realised that was what he was doing but there was nobody to save him as Jeongin loomed over him, his face lit horrifyingly by the glow of his wings. “What did you <em>do?”</em> </p><p>Seungmin’s demonstration of the fear angels could invoke was laughable in comparison to this. Hyunjin was pretty sure Jeongin was going to kill him, possibly with his bare hands. Jeongin ripped the duvet off of him and Hyunjin pulled his legs up in a futile attempt to protect himself. He was naked but no amount of clothing or armoury would make him feel safe under the gaze Jeongin had him locked in. If walls didn’t stop angels there was nothing Hyunjin could do in defense.</p><p> “You slept with him,” Jeongin said, almost to himself, as he saw Hyunjin’s state of undress. His fury dimmed and he pulled back enough that Hyunjin felt just safe enough to ask, </p><p>“Seungminnie? Where is Seungminnie?” Now his life wasn’t in immediate danger it was all he could think about. Where was his Angel? Why hadn’t he stayed in Hyunjin’s arm? And why hadn’t he appeared when Hyunjin was terrified and in danger. Seungmin always knew when he was in danger and he <em>always </em>appeared to save him.</p><p>“<em>Great </em>question,” Jeongin answered, standing straight and crossing his arms over his chest. He seemed much taller than he had been in all the time Hyunjin had known him, and the outline of his chest through his hoodie suggested there was muscle to him too. This wasn’t the cute little Jeongin Hyunjin knew at all. “Why don’t you ask God, Disaster Boy?” Jeongin said with contempt. “If you’re so <em>ducking</em> special, why don’t you ask God why my best friend has disappeared and I just got told that I’m your new Guardian Angel?”</p><p>
  <em>No. Seungmin couldn’t be gone, no. Seungmin wouldn’t leave. </em>
</p><p>“Maybe you can repent for having sex with an angel while you’re at it,” Jeongin added, his voice cracking as he tried to remain aloof. Only then did Hyunjin realise that under the anger Jeongin was hurting too. He was still the lanky winged boy that flew into windows and in his eyes Hyunjin had just extinguished one of the few sparks of joy in his life.</p><p>“I didn’t know,” Hyunjin said in a whisper, digging his fingernails into his leg. Maybe it was penance, maybe it was to keep himself grounded. His heart hurt, it physically hurt to think that his actions had caused them to be separated, the one thing he knew Seungmin feared above all else. “I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have- even though Minnie asked..”</p><p>“Seungmin wanted it?” Jeongin said. His arms were still crossed but it looked more like he was hugging himself. </p><p>Hyunjin nodded, wiping away the tears that would not stop flowing. “Minnie told me to will his clothes off. He asked-” No. He wasn’t going to tell Jeongin that. That was private between him and Seungmin and it was even more precious now since it was one of the last things Seungmin said to him. The <em>last </em>thing Seungmin had said before he fell asleep on Hyunjin’s chest was ‘<em>I love you</em>’. Hyunjin had been too tired to do more than kiss his head and fall asleep himself but he should have realised that something was wrong then. Angels don’t sleep.</p><p>“He fell asleep,” Hyunjin told Jeongin. “Last night. He was asleep before I was.”</p><p>Jeongin worried his lip, frowning. “I hope he’s not right about death,” he said quietly.</p><p>Hyunjin shook his head. “No. Seungminnie isn’t dead. He’s not. It would feel different if he was.”
</p><p>“It feels pretty different now,” Jeongin said dismally, staring at the floor. He’d just lost his best friend of fifteen years and been given his friend’s job as a constant reminder too. Nothing in his life was going to feel the same as it did before. Hyunjin wanted to give him a real hug but it had taken a long time to get Seungmin used to them and now was not the time to push Jeongin’s comfort zone.</p><p>Jeongin was so different from Seungmin. He had none of the authority and none of the confidence. And though he acted tough and grumpy on the outside Hyunjin knew he was always looking for someone else to take charge, whether that be Seungmin or Chan or-</p><p>"You said you could hear prayers if they were desperate enough," Hyunjin said, getting out of bed hurriedly and pulling a pair of discarded sweatpants on.</p><p>"Yes," Jeongin replied. "But Seungmin isn't here to listen-"</p><p>"I'm not going to ask Seungmin," Hyunjin said, dropping to his knees on the carpet. He faced away from his bed, looking out of his window where the wide sky above the buildings was beginning to glow faintly yellow with the sunrise.</p><p>"<em>Dear Angels," </em>Hyunin prayed as he closed his eyes on the sight. He didn't say it out loud as this was one prayer that had to travel so much further than his voice could reach. Instead he broadcast his message with the magnitude of his grief. "<em>Angels. Your brother is missing. My Seungmin is missing.</em></p><p>
  <em>"I have been the greatest burden on him my whole life, no more so than the last month, in which I finally became privileged to know him, and for that I am sorry. He did not deserve to suffer me, none of you deserve to suffer humans as you do, and it hurts me to think of you all giving so much and having nothing for yourselves. He is a better man that I could even be and I would give my life for him, Angels. I will give my life for him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"For the rest of my life I will use the gifts I am undeserving of to help you. Call on me and I will come. Ask any task of me and I will do it. I only ask that you find my Seungminnie. Please. I love him so much I cannot bear not knowing what has happened to him. If he’s- Please find him. Please.”</em>
</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Chan was the first to answer his call and he sounded as grief-stricken as Hyunjin felt, his words dull and full of sadness. “<em>Seungminnie isn’t in my district anymore, Hyunjinnie,”</em> he said. “<em>I’m sorry I can’t help.”</em></p><p>Hyunjin was trying to work out if there was a way for him to reply directly to Chan when the next message echoed in his head. It was a soft, higher-pitched voice tinged with pity. <em>“Your Seungmin is not here, child. I’m sorry.”</em></p><p>And then another voice started speaking the same words. And another. And another.</p><p>
  <em>“Your Seungmin is not here, child. I’m sorry.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Your Seungmin is not here, child. I’m sorry.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Your Seungmin is not here, child. I’m sorry.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Seungmin. Not here. Sorry. Not here. Sorry. Seungmin. Not Here. Not here Seungmin not here sorry Seungmin sorry not here sorry sorry  SeungminsorrynotherenothereSeungminsorrysorrySeungminnothereSeungminSeungminSeungminsorrynothereSeungminnotheresorrynotheresorrysorrySeungminsorrynothereSeungminnotherenothereSeungminnotherenotherenotheresorrySeungminsorrySeungminsorrynothereSeungminsorrynotheresorrySeungminsorrynothereSeungminSeungminnotheresorrysorrynothereSeungminnothere-</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Im sorry. Yes, that is the end of this fic with so much unanswered. There will be a sequel. I promise. I have it planned. And I swear I have a good reason for doing that, just bear with me.</p><p>As a general note: I won't be starting any new fics for a little while. I'd like to finish the mermaid one first if thats possible and finish my edit of I am: ILL. After all that is done I believe BCC may be back on the agenda with Baby Seungmin, following on from Blink -182 but I'll see how things go before then</p><p>Thanks for reading, kudosing, commenting, enjoying. And again, I'm really sorry for this chapter.</p><p>Oh, and! Nad has made a very cute fanart to cheer you all up now. Everyone go look at all her works I am a longtime fan. Angels: https://twitter.com/abowlofberry/status/1360898077758918658</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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